Border of Love and Insanity: A Collection
by 1 over 0
Summary: Personal project for NaNoWriMo 2011. The Touhou fandom is simply ripe for ludicrous pairings. Enter to view a collection of such pairings, generated by a completely random system! Collection of one-shots.
1. Prologue

**For those of you who do not know:**

** NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. A quick Google search should produce the NaNoWriMo homepage, which will give you all the info you need. However, the basics can be broken up thusly:**

**The main goal is to write a novel within a month, a novel being defined as 50 000 words.**

**Characters, plot, and setting mean nothing, so long as you make the required word count.**

**As you can see, it's a fairly simple event. There are no rewards for completing the competition, other than the knowledge that you have written a novel and a little virtual certificate.**

**I started this during NaNoWriMo 2011. I didn't complete the challenge; I only made it to about 25 000 words. However, in the long run, I discovered that I care too much about my writing to sacrifice quality for quantity.**

**I'm leaving this up here, because crack shipping is too much fun and it makes a nice respite from the grimdark seriousness that seems to dominate my other fics. However, don't expect updates to be too frequent.**

* * *

><p><span>Prologue: Border of Imagination and Reality<span>

* * *

><p>"I'll take it."<p>

Rinnosuke regarded Yukari strangely as he handed over the large, flat, foreign box.

"A screen for looking at other worlds?" he asked skeptically. "Couldn't you just go there?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you," she said haughtily as she dropped the large flatscreen TV into a gap. "You should be glad your pathetic little store is even getting my business. If I might remind you, your business is not exactly booming." She opened up another gap, and a small container of kerosene dropped out of it onto the counter. "There. That should get you through the next month. I don't know why you like that little heater so much. Now that everybody's getting electricity, thanks to Utsuho, you should get an electric one to replace it."

"I don't know why you always seem to have an ominous air about you," muttered Rinnosuke, puffing on his hookah. "But I don't remark on it."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" asked Yukari politely.

"Nothing."

"Oh. I could swear I heard something." She picked up her parasol from where it rested by the door. "We'll see each other again, Mr. Morichika." She opened her parasol as she exited, opened up yet another gap, and dropped out of sight.

The storekeeper sighed. Dealing with Yukari was always either stressful or confusing, and often both.

He was unlikely to get any more customers that day, so he decided he could afford to leave his post at the counter. He turned around and headed for the storeroom in back in order to play with around with his collection of antiques.

"Why do I even still deal with her..." he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes tight, and sighing deeply. As he did so he opened the door to the storeroom and entered.

His foot came down, expecting to hit the floor...and kept falling...and then the rest of him was falling...

"DAMMIT, YUKARIIIII~!" he screamed as he fell into the Former Hell of Burning Fires.

From far off he could hear an annoyingly satisfied chuckling.

* * *

><p>Yukari stepped out of her gap and into her house on the border of Gensoukyou and the real world. The TV had already arrived, and lay in the centre of the room, silent. Chen had already discovered it, and was poking at it.<p>

"Mistress Yukari! Welcome home!" she said brightly. "What have you brought for us today?"

"It's called a television," replied the youkai of boundaries as she levitated the flatscreen using a gap, moved it over to the wall, and fastened it there with another set of gaps.

"Oh. What does it do?" asked Chen.

"It shows pictures." Yukari found the power cable and plugged it into a wall socket. She had known from the start that it had been a good idea to hook up to the new electrical grid. Now she didn't have to steal power from the outside world.

"How does it make pictures?" asked Chen curiously. "Oh! I know! Is there a shikigami inside that draws the pictures?"

"Foolish cat," scolded Ran as she entered, her arms folded up in her sleeves. "Clearly it uses some kind of illusion magic."

"Not quite, both of you," said Yukari. "It's a piece of outside technology. They don't have magic. However, I _will_ be sprucing this one up just a little bit"

She opened a gap, took the input cable, and dropped it inside. It dangled there, seemingly going nowhere.

"I've always wanted a television. They're so great for naps. However, it was always hard to get a good signal from the outside world."

"So what did you do, Mistress?"

"I hooked it up to the Border of the Real and Unreal," stated Yukari matter-of-factly. "We'll be able to watch any number of parallel universes!"

"Trust the mistress to think of something so smart!" said Chen in awe.

"But of course." Yukari summoned several comfortable-looking chairs for them. "Now sit! We're going to enjoy this together."

"Thank you, Mistress," said Ran with a bow before reclining in a chair. Chen hopped happily into the cushiest one.

Yukari herself sat back in a classy-looking leather armchair that looked suspiciously like it had been taken from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She opened up yet another gap, and pulled from it a remote.

"Now, I must warn you," she said in a cautionary tone. "You can never tell what it will show, beyond a few generalities. What does everyone want to watch?"  
>"An epic adventure!" cheered Chen. "I like those."<p>

"Personally, I could go for a bit of romance," said Ran. "Something elegant and thoughtful."  
>"Romance it is," said Yukari. "Chen, maybe we can watch your adventures later."<p>

"Aww~"

"Chen!" snapped Ran. "Don't complain about the mistress' decisions!"

"Relax, Ran," said Yukari soothingly. "We can't watch television in a tense atmosphere. Now let's begin."

She clicked a button on the remote, and the screen flared to life.

* * *

><p><strong> I <em>will<em> be considering requests for specific pairings, so long as they are not glaringly obvious and/or common. In addition, the hilarity factor will be considered (for example, I will not accept Marisa x Reimu, but Marisa x Reimu x Everybody is perfectly acceptable). Submit them in either a review or a PM.**

**Any pairings that do NOT come from requests come from the excellent Touhou Pairing Generator, hosted by KimikoMuffin on his site Muffiny Miscellany.**


	2. Teatime in Jigoku

Teatime in Jigoku

* * *

><p>A young magician flew through the dark abyss on her broomstick, glancing about nervously every other second. She wore a plain, purple dress, and her blonde hair flowed out from underneath it.<p>

The roiling of the evil spirits around her suddenly increased, and she jumped and nearly fell off of her broomstick. Clutching her wand tighter, she pulled her hat down over her face.

_"Why did I ever come here?" _she asked herself mournfully. _"Oh, wait. That's right..."_

* * *

><p>The miko and the witch were at it again. They were always bickering, over every little thing. Mima couldn't understand why they even bothered to spend so much time together if they were going to spend it all fighting.<p>

"Can't you two ever give it up?" she sighed at them from where she sat on the shrine's steps. "Either that or don't hang out together. I don't need to listen to all of this..."

"But Mima-sama, I have to come here to see you!" complained Marisa. "It's not my fault that this fat, stupid miko is also living here!"

"Excuse me?" retorted Reimu. "Your master happens to be staying here, free of rent, of my own goodwill! I could exorcise her at any time I want!" She lifted her hand threateningly, and the Yin-Yang Orbs flew to her side.

Marisa summoned her wand and held it at the ready.

"Now now, girls. Let's not fight." Mima rose up and floated over to interpose herself between them. It would be bad if things got violent; the resulting fireworks could destroy the shrine, which just happened to be her current home.

"Let's talk this through. Tell me what you're arguing about."

"We're trying to decide who's the best incident solver!" explained Marisa. "Although clearly it's me."

"I've solved far more incidents than you have!" replied Reimu angrily. "And one time, you were a _part_ of the incident!"

"Yeah, but after that you always had to get my help!"

"I could have solved those incidents on my own!"

"Oh yeah? What about that time with Yuuka?"

"I beat you up and you left!"

"The way I remember it, _I_ beat _you_ and then proceeded to take her on my own!"

"The only thing I remember you _taking_ is her Master Spark attack."

"Hey! I won that fair and square!"

"Lying bitch!"

"Lazy fatass!"

Reimu growled, and her Orbs began glowing ominously. Marisa raised her staff defensively, and it too began to glow. Magic and spiritual power filled the air, and the two forces boiled and rippled against one another.

"Calm down." Using her magic, Mima picked up both girls and threw them across the grass. They landed with twin thuds, and picked themselves up off of the ground woozily. The aura of conflict vanished immediately.

Mima had experience being a mediator for them. It didn't help that nobody could really remember properly what had actually happened, and sometimes, you had to play rough. She cracked her spiritual knuckles and glared at them.

"The shrine is neutral territory," she declared in a flat, neutral tone. "If neither of you feels up to respecting that, well...I don't suppose either of you wants to go three-way with _me_?"

Both girls sulked heavily, but Mima's threat eventually drew grumbled acquiescence from both of them.

"Now then." She summoned a table from inside, and a pitcher of sake. She poured herself some. "Let's do this in an orderly fashion. The miko is on home territory, so she gets to go first."

Reimu shot an eat-that-bitch look at Marisa. Then she gathered herself.

"...Several years ago," she began. "I decided to open the portal to Makai. I ventured down there with my first Orb, and I proceeded to beat up every single enemy I encountered, including none other than an Angel of Death!" She smiled smugly.

"Big deal!" scoffed Marisa. "I grew up in Makai! Well, not my entire life, but I spent the important part as Mima-sama's apprentice! Why, either one of us could have easily handled one measly angel of death! There are at least seven of those things, I'm sure we took one down at one point!"

"Okay then. If that's not enough for you..." Reimu grinned confidently, ready to lay down her trump card.

"After I finished in Makai, I came home...and headed straight for the depths of Jigoku."

The word dropped into the air like a bomb that exploded silently. The devastation and shock was written all over Marisa's face.

A stray wind blew into the silence, stopped in sudden embarrassment at having broken the precious silence, and left apologetically.

"She's got a good point," yawned Mima. "I don't think I've been down to the lower levels in at least a century. Your miko is the one who kicked me out of where I was lounging about in the upper levels."

"Mima-sama! You can't possibly be admitting that there are those stronger than you!"

"I am not as powerful as I once was," stated Mima casually. "That is why our miko friend here was able to defeat me. What you have seen so far, my apprentice, is merely a fragment of what I once was. Even after all these years of regaining power, I am still only at a fraction of the strength I once possessed." She looked at Reimu pensively. "If Jigoku's depths are anything like what I remember, then I think that the miko has won this match."

"N-no way!" gasped Marisa. "Master, how could you abandon your apprentice?"

"Have you ever been to Jigoku, Marisa?"

"Well...no."

"Then take my word for it. Reimu is far more powerful than you give her credit for."

"No!" Marisa would not concede defeat. "I refuse to accept this! Why...I bet I could handle Jigoku with no difficulty!"

"A bet?" Reimu was grinning mischievously. "What are you willing to bet?"

"Well...uh..."

"How about this?" Her grin widened. "If you can travel to the deepest level of Jigoku and back, I will spend an entire week as your live-in maid. If you can't...well, the reverse will occur."

"Deal!" agreed Marisa ardently. Suddenly she felt she had to make it, at all costs. She summoned her broom and hopped onto it.

"You just wait, miko!" she yelled, sticking out her tongue and pulling down an eyelid. "I'll be back before you know it, and then you'll be my maid! Have fun cleaning my house!"

She rocketed off, and disappeared over the horizon.

"...What a fool," sighed Mima, pouring herself some more sake. "Why did you make that bet, miko?"

"Because I win either way." Her smile was bordering on worrying.

"Is that so...? Miko, you're more intelligent than I gave you credit for."

"Hey. You're staying at my shrine, so you might as well start calling me by name."

"All right, Reimu."

* * *

><p>And so it was that Marisa found herself diving deep into the darkest depths of Hell.<p>

_"Jigoku,"_ she thought. _"Not Hell. Hell is where spirits go to be judged by the Yamas. Then they are punished."_

There was a howling from the depths, and she shivered with fear.

_"There's nothing like that to control the monsters that lurk here."_

She flew on, lighting the way ahead with her wand. She'd already had to take down several spirits, including a curious bronze disk. There was no being too cautious.

Ahead of her suddenly appeared a strange building. She flew down and landed in front of it.

It looked fairly safe. Sure, it had a dark, ominous aura around it, but it was really relatively tame compared to some of the things Marisa had already seen. Besides, at that point she was sure that it was a natural side effect of Jigoku in general.

She entered.

As she did so, a shadowy spirit flitted around her. It slipped behind her, and entered her shadow.

* * *

><p>Navigation of the building was confusing, and Marisa quickly became lost. As she wandered around from hallway to hallway, she began to wonder if there had ever actually been an entrance. Earlier attempts to retrace her steps had yielded no results. Perhaps she had stumbled into some warped reality designed to trap unwary travellers.<p>

She was on the verge of panicking when she finally came upon something new. A densely patterned curtain hung over a doorway, from which spilled out warm light.

Marisa eagerly rushed in, happy to see a change in the endless repetition of undecorated hallways.

She entered upon a large circular room, decorated on all sides with artwork in various forms. The ceiling was glass, and a form of strange sunlight shone down from it.

At the centre of the room was a table. And sitting at the table was a woman.

She looked up from the sake dish she was drinking out of. The first thing Marisa noticed was her deep, powerful, jet black eyes. Next she noticed the horn jutting out of her head, and the long black hair. The woman was clad in red and white, like Reimu, but her outfit was reminiscent of a warrior, a feeling reinforced by the sheathed sword at her side.

"Greetings," said the woman softly but strongly. Her voice tingled along Marisa's senses like cold steel.

"Um...greetings..." replied Marisa awkwardly. "I am Marisa. Pleased to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Konngara." The woman bowed her head politely. "I would say a pleasant surprise, except for the fact that I have been watching you for a long time now. Excuse my actions."

She unsheathed her sword slightly, and Marisa flinched in fear. However, the unsheathing was not a threat. A shadowy spirit detached itself from Marisa's shadow, flowed into the sword, and disappeared as the blade was re-sheathed.

"It is not often I get visitors," said Konngara. "Even less often is it that I get courteous visitors. Why, the last visitor I had, a miko, saw me and immediately started throwing a curious orb at me. I think it was an attempt at an exorcism."

"That's Reimu, all right..." muttered Marisa.

"An acquaintance of yours?" asked Konngara with a raised eyebrow.

"You could say that," stammered the magician. "We're not friends, though. Really."

"It truly is a small world, isn't it?" The swordswoman motioned to a spot at the table opposite her. "Please sit. I've been absolutely starved for conversation."

"Thank you very much," said Marisa politely as she sat. "Isn't it a bit early for drinking, though?"

"In this part of the world, there is never early nor late," said Konngara smoothly. "However, if it pleases you, we can switch to tea. The sake dish is purely symbolic, anyway."

She motioned with her hand, and a teapot and a cup replaced the pitcher on the table. Putting down her dish for a moment, she poured tea into the cup.

"Thank you very much." Marisa picked up her cup and sipped. "Oh! This is some marvellous tea."

"It is my own special brew, only creatable here, in Jigoku." The swordswoman smiled over her dish. "I've been told it tastes differently to different people, but that it is always perfect for that individual."

"Perfect is definitely a word I'd use." Marisa sipped happily. "Care to share the recipe?"

"There is no recipe, sadly. I've always made it based on feeling."

"What a shame. I'd definitely have loved to share this tea with a friend of mine."

"The miko?" asked Konngara.

Marisa thought for a moment, and then waved her hand to dismiss the idea.

"You know what, let's just forget her," she said. "She was wrong to attack such a noble spirit as yourself."

"I am flattered by your praise," thanked Konngara graciously. "However, I have not had such honourable company since Mima left. I am glad to have met you."

"Mima-sama?" gasped Marisa. "You knew Mima-sama?"

"Ah, yes," sighed the swordswoman reminiscently. "We were inseparable during our younger days."

"She's my master now," informed Marisa proudly.

"Oh yes? I would love to hear about how she is doing now."

"Well..."

They continued conversing for several hours.

* * *

><p>Topside, several days had already passed.<p>

"I should go after her," said Reimu to Mima.

"Cool your heels," replied the lounging spirit. "Time flows differently in Jigoku. Having been there, I'm sure you noticed."

"Well...that is true...but she's been in there quite a long time either way."

"Give it another day. If she doesn't come back, I'll go with you."

Just then, Marisa came hovering up the shrine steps. Reimu ran forward to greet her.

"Marisa! How are you? Did you make it?" She seemed anxious to confirm that her friend was all right. "Any problems?"

"No, none at all." The witch seemed strangely detached. "In fact, I got to tour all of Jigoku."

"Well then!" Reimu flipped her hair coyly. "I guess I'll be working as your maid, then?"

"Nah, you can stay a miko."

"What?"

"I'm not going to be at home very much anymore, in any case." Marisa turned around. "You can use the time to work on getting donations. Consider showing a little more skin. Like, around the arm area." She floated away, back to the Forest of Magic.

"...Did I just get _blown off?_" asked Reimu in angry confusion.

"I guess they met," said Mima nonchalantly. "Heh. Figures this would happen. She never could get over me."

"Who?" demanded Reimu, whirling angrily to confront the lazy spirit.

"Oh, you never know who you might meet in Jigoku... In any case, miko, I think you just managed to lose!" Mima drifted off, chuckling as she faded away.

Reimu stomped angrily back into her shrine, considering a costume change.

* * *

><p>"Did Marisa ever wear a costume like that?" asked Ran. "And who are all these people I have never heard of before?"<p>

"It was before our time," said Yukari simply, with a knowing gleam in her eye.

"Mistress, forgive me, but we have been residing here since before the _first generation_ of the Hakurei clan was even born."

"Well, these events also never happened."

"Also? It can't be both. Which one is it?"

"Both." Yukari smiled enigmatically.

Ran fell silent, realizing that Yukari was in one of her playfully mysterious moods.

"I don't think there's any point in watching this story any further," declared the youkai of boundaries. "Let's see what else is on."

She clicked the remote again.

* * *

><p><strong>Imagine the dismay I felt when the first pairing I got was PC-98 Marisa and Konngara! There's actually not that much to distinguish PC-98 Marisa from Windows Marisa. On top of that, Konngara had basically nothing in terms of characterization (although, admittedly, that gave me a lot of leeway to make things up).<strong>

** In the end, I'd say I'm pretty happy with this chapter. Dunno whether or not I managed to properly ship Konngara with Marisa, but I think I did pretty well. What do the readers think?**

** I think the first game goes a little unappreciated because it wasn't a shooting game. Much as I love the modern Touhou games, I also adore the PC-98 stuff, especially the first game. I really wish ZUN would bring back, say, Sariel. Now there was a fun (and cheaply difficult) final boss fight.**


	3. Window to the Soul

**When I first rolled up this pairing, I thought, "Holy crap. Am I actually going to do this?"**

**The answer I got almost immediately was "YES".  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Window to the Soul<span>

* * *

><p>Behind the Hakurei Shrine stretches a range of mountains. Their peaks are lost in the clouds, and very few humans know what lies shrouded at their summits.<p>

If one were to scale them, however, and brave the youkai that live there, one would come upon a lake in a valley located high within the mountains. This is no ordinary lake: instead of water it is filled with blood, and in the middle of the lake is an island. This island contains a deep chasm; a chasm, it is rumoured, that stretches deep down into worlds beyond our comprehension.

In recent years, there had only been one incident where a human was forced to travel to these secluded location. After it was resolved, it was thought that no human would go there ever again; for it was not a location that any human would want to go to.

However, despite this, once again there came a day where a human attempted to travel to the centre of the lake.

Kurumi, the guardian of the lake, was ready to meet this threat. She was still steaming after her previous defeat, and thus, when the floating dot appeared on the horizon, she immediately flew out to meet it with teeth bared and her most powerful magic at the ready.

"Halt!" ordered the vampire in her most commanding voice. "You may not pass!" She smiled smugly to herself, pleased with the imperiousness of her tone. She wouldn't lose this time.

"Are you the gatekeeper?" called the flying speck. "Give me a moment to fly over..."

As the speck drew closer so that Kurumi could see it, her eyes widened. It was not one of the humans who had defeated her earlier. It was a human riding on top of a round, winged creature, the size of a large beach ball.

"Ugh, how embarrassing..." sighed the human morosely. "To fly around like this, it's humiliating..."

"Um...I am the gatekeeper!" announced the vampire, trying to make up for her visitor's lack of enthusiasm. "I am named Kurumi, and I shall not let anyone pass!"

"Oh, please?" begged the human. "Let me pass?"

Kurumi was stunned. Nobody had ever just _asked_ to pass before.

"I am named Rika," informed the human. "And this...is my flying tank, Evil Eye Sigma." She patted the flying orb beneath her, and a single, large eye opened within it. Kurumi recoiled slightly.

"How can you call that a tank?" she burst out in disgust.

"That's what the shrine maiden said!" exclaimed Rika. "And then she blew him up, and he became like this..."

"A shrine maiden..." Kurumi looked thoughtful. "Was it, by chance, the miko whose shrine is at the bottom of the mountain?"

"Yeah, that's it!" The engineer's face lit up. "I heard she came here, that's why I came. Did you meet her?"

"Yes, she defeated me easily..." Kurumi's face went dark with embarrassment at the memory.

"She defeated me twice," said Rika. "So, were you the cause of that incident?"

"Actually, no," admitted Kurumi. "I suppose you want to see the boss?"

"Yes, please!" Rika's head bobbed enthusiastically. "I'm not interested in some Stage 1 boss."  
>"Excuse me, I was Stage 2..." muttered the vampire plaintively.<p>

A few minutes later they were at the island, standing on the lip of the chasm. It was calm now, nothing like it was during the incident, but it still radiated an aura of mysterious power.

"I suppose this is it?" asked the engineer.

"Yes, the incident was caused by something down there."

"All right!" Rika stepped up to the edge. "Come on, Siggy, we're going down!" She turned to her pet.

But the Evil Eye had disappeared. Rika looked about, and saw his little flapping wings behind Kurumi's back.

"Oh, come on," she sighed, exasperated. "All right then, if you're really that scared..."

She turned to the vampire gatekeeper and scrutinized her.

"You look trustworthy enough..." mused the engineer.

"What?" asked the vampire.

"Could you do me a favour?"

"What kind?"

"Siggy here is a big scaredy-cat." She indicated the eye-tank, which was still hiding behind the vampire's back. "So I need someone to take care of him. Will you do that for me?"

"Me? Look after it?" Kurumi looked at the eye-tank. "I don't know the first thing about looking after...whatever this is."

"Sigma needs nothing but a place to fly around in and, every once in a while, some sacrificial blood." Rika looked around at the crimson lake that surrounded them. "I expect you have enough to sacrifice some?"

"I guess..." The vampire's expression, however, was dubious. "But how will you defend yourself without your tank?"

"I'm an engineer! I have plenty of tricks up my sleeves." She saluted to the vampire. "Well, if that's a deal, I'll be seeing you later!"

She nonchalantly stepped off the edge of the chasm and plummeted into the depths below. Kurumi leaned over the edge and watched as she disappeared.

"She's going to get eaten alive," the vampire said in a matter-of-fact tone.

* * *

><p>Kurumi still had a patrol to do, so she took the little winged eyeball along with her. It trailed along behind her, looking around at everything with its one big eye.<p>

_"Is it a tank or some kind of demon?"_ the vampire asked herself. Her current thoughts leaned towards the _demon_ end of the spectrum.

Just then, there was a screeching. Several winged creatures flitted over the edge of the valley and dive-bombed towards the lake's surface.

"Damn lesser-blood vampires are always trying to snatch some blood," complained Kurumi to her new companion. "They always end up adding their own blood to the stockpile. Watch this." She began moving to intercept them.

But before she could get anywhere, two purple blurs stretched past her, rocketing towards the intruding vampires. With her augmented vision Kurumi watched as the vampires were speared straight through, disappearing with a puff of smoke and leaving behind nothing but blood, which dropped into the lake with a splash.

Kurumi turned to her small, round companion with a mixture of shock and awe.

_"Demon,"_ she affirmed in her mind. _"Tentacle demon. Oh boy."_

* * *

><p>They took a rest on the island shortly after that. Kurumi rested on the barren ground and sipped from a goblet of blood she had taken from the lake.<p>

A purple tentacle tapped her shoulder, and she turned to see the giant eye blinking at her.

"What, are you hungry?" she asked. She looked down at her snack. "You can have some if you want."

The eyeball shook itself horizontally to signify no.

"So...you're not hungry."

No again.

"So, wait, you _are_ hungry?"

Vertical shaking translated as a yes.

"But you can't have this?"

No.

"So...what do you want?"

The demon floated back and extended its tentacles. With them it began engraving in the dirt. When it had finished, Kurumi stepped forward and inspected the complex pattern on the ground.

"A kind of pentagram?" She looked up at the demon. "So I'm supposed to make some sort of sacrifice?"

She got a nod.

"Will this do?" She held up the half-full cup of blood.

Apparently it wouldn't, as the eyeball-demon waved its tentacles negatively.

"So...what am I supposed to do?"

The demon stretched out one tentacle straight, and moved the other across it with a sawing motion.

"You need my blood?"

The demon signified yes.

"...Well, I guess so. I _did_ promise to look after you."

She stepped into the centre of the pentagram and rolled up one sleeve. For a moment she considered how to go about it. Should she get a knife? Should she use her sharp claws?

Then, she decided to just go to hell with it, extended her fangs, and bit deep into the flesh of her own arm.

The blood ran around her mouth and down her arm. She felt no pain, as she was already dead and her fangs were not among her weaknesses. She watched with vague interested as the red fluid coursed down her arm, gathered at her elbow, and dripped down to the ground.

As it did so, the pentagram began to glow and pulsate with a deep red light. At the same time, a large shape similar to the letter E glowed on the demon eye.

She removed her fangs just as the ritual completed itself, and the holes in her arm closed up neatly. She looked up at the floating eyeball, and it looked back at her. She looked deep within its solitary pupil, and saw something there that she had never seen before.

_"Thank you,"_ echoed a soft voice inside her mind before fading away. She jumped in surprise at the sudden connection.

Then she suddenly raised her goblet and drained what was left. She'd expended a lot of blood, and it had left her famished.

* * *

><p>The days passed, and then the weeks, followed by the months, until finally over a whole year had passed. During this time, Rika had yet to return. Some of it could have been put down to the time difference between the dream world and the real world, but as time passed, Kurumi began to forget about Rika all together.<p>

Part of this was because she had been completely given over her time to being with the demon tank known as Evil Eye Sigma.

The feeding ritual, when performed by her, seemed to have some sort of binding quality. As she repeatedly performed the rite in order to nourish the slowly growing demon, her connection with it had strengthened, progressing from a vague awareness to emotional resonance, until finally, she reached the stage of comprehensive thought.

_"Your hair is pretty,"_ had been his first message for her. She had at first been taken aback, and then slightly creeped out that a tentacled eye-demon was complimenting her. Finally, however, she had been flattered. Perhaps it was the result of the emotional resonance.

_"Thank you," _she had thought back. _"I think your eye is beautiful."_ The little eye had practically radiated joy.

Now, Sigma (as she called him) was hardly what anyone would call small. He was larger even than Kurumi now, though she was admittedly small to begin with, and he had developed a glowing halo that constantly hovered over him. His connection with her had also strengthened further, allowing them to exchange lengthy conversations, and even sometimes converse without words.

The conversations had been a gift from the heavens for the little vampire. She'd spent so many years alone in the mountains. The simple act of conversation had become a treasure for her.

_"Do you think your owner will come back soon?"_ had begun one of their first conversations.

_"Rika? I don't know," _the eye had replied. _"But I'm happy with you here, Kurumi, so I don't mind."_ Warmth and companionship had transmitted along with her name, so Kurumi was happy also.

After the year had passed, the day of Rika's disappearance had returned. Sigma had sensed it, for he had an uncanny sense of time, and had alerted Kurumi. They had flown over to the chasm together, and stared down into its depths.

_"Do you think she'll ever come back?"_ asked the vampire.

_"Probably not,"_ replied the eye.

_"Are you sure you're not sad?"_ enquired Kurumi. _"I know I'd be sad."_

_"Kurumi..."_ began the demon mentally. _"Kurumi. I don't want to go back to Rika. I want to stay with you."_

_"Why?"_ Kurumi had asked, despite already knowing the answer.

_"Because...I love you."_

A year ago, Kurumi would have recoiled in horror at the idea. After a year of feeding the demon, however, they were practically joined in mind and spirit. Thus it was that she jumped on the floating eyeball and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back gently with his tentacles.

Minutes later, they were at the feeding pentagram. After so many uses, it was burned permanently into the very earth. Next to it, Sigma began sketching out another diagram.

_"Siggy, what are you doing?"_ asked the little vampire.

_"Rika is still my master,"_ replied the demon, _"so I'm preparing the ritual to bond permanently to you."_

_ "Can I help?"_

_ "Yes. Fetch several torches to place at the points."_

Kurumi did as she was asked. Soon there was a circle of fire surrounding the two creatures of darkness.

_"Will it be like the feeding ritual?"_ Already Kurumi's fangs had unsheathed themselves. _"Should I bite myself now?"_

_"I can feel that you are eager, but no. I require something else of you, this time."_

_ "What is it?"_

_ "...Your love."_

_"Siggy, you know I love you. Touching your mind was like biting into the fruit of life for me. I couldn't imagine life without you."_

_"Yes, but I need to know for sure. I need...I need to touch your soul now, Kurumi."_

_"Oh, don't you know? I don't have one."_

_ "Then I will give you one."_

It was miraculous, and it was impossible to describe properly. It was like something had reached into her long-dead soul and lit a candle there, bringing it back to life. It was as if she had previously seen in monochrome, and her life had suddenly exploded into glorious Technicolor.

After it was over she lay on the ground, panting. The new light inside her chest fluttered brightly. Sigma loomed over her nervously.

_"I'm sorry, I'm not used to my full power yet. I may have overdone it. Do you- Are you- "_

_ "I'm all right."_ The vampire drew him close and hugged him tightly. _"Thank you so much, Siggy. I was dead before I met you."_

_"Thank you, Kurumi. Without you, I, too, would be dead."_

* * *

><p>The next morning they were flying about together, glorying in the joy of being able to soar among the clouds. The wide-area barrier that Sigma had constructed meant that they hardly needed to patrol anymore, as nobody would disturb them. This left them more than enough time to gambol and carouse, simply enjoying each other's company.<p>

On that day, though, something rose up from the chasm.

It could only be described as a pagoda, mounted on top of a European fortress, mounted on top of a crystal palace, mounted on top of a city-sized battleship, mounted on top of an airship the size of two cities. Giant cannon turrets bristled from every window, rampart, and horizontal surface.

**"IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING DREAM COME TRUE!"** came a maniacal shout that blared from speakers all over the ship. It was followed by a round of insane cackling, punctuated by the launch of a hundred fighter planes.

Sigma and Kurumi watched as the fortress, still cackling gleefully, made its way down the mountain towards the shrine below.

_"...None of our problem,"_ said Sigma.

They danced and cavorted through the air as fireworks and small nuclear explosions burst around them.

* * *

><p><strong>I managed to roll the ONLY CHARACTER to canonically have tentacles. Much laughter was had, followed by much hardship in trying to write around it. That, coupled with two virtually one-dimensional PC-98 characters, led to problems deciding what to do.<br>**

**I eventually succeeded, and personally I consider this chapter to be one of the best. I had fun with it; the result is therefore good.  
><strong>


	4. Envoy of Peace

**This is the chapter that finally made me realize that I am simply incapable of sacrificing quality for quantity.**

**I did not know what to do at all when I began this chapter, but pushed to create it anyways. In the end, I was extremely dissatisfied with it.**

**I'm leaving this chapter up as a testament, a reminder to myself, when I'd rather take it down. This isn't to say it's a bad chapter, per se; it simply deserves more love and care. Perhaps I'll develop it into a proper fic, someday.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Envoy of Peace<span>

* * *

><p>After so many years, Pandaemonium was finally nearing complete reconstruction. Now the crystal towers once again rose above the roofs of Makai, stalwart sentries against invasion.<p>

After so many years, people had forgotten the death and destruction of that day. Humans were beginning to disappear from their minds, and the various demons and youkai went about their daily duties with a cheerfulness and carefree attitude that had been missing for so long.

After so many years, the wounds had begun to heal.

After so many years, the humans returned.

Civilians stared at her as she walked down the street, confused as to her nature. Her clothes and her scent marked her out as a human, and yet there was a ... _otherworldly_ heel about her, as of a great and powerful youkai. She travelled in the direction of the crystal palace, gathering something of a crowd as she did so.

Her pace never slowed, and her steps never faltered. Smoothly and gracefully she glided up to the glittering gates, only stopping when the guards blocked her way.

"State your name," they demanded, "and your intent."

"My name is Byakuren Hijiri," said the young woman calmly, bowing her head. She raised her eyes and regarded the guards from beneath the fringe of her purple-brown hair.

"As a resident of Makai, I would like to request an audience with Her Highness, Shinki, the Great Goddess and Creator of Makai.

* * *

><p>The young woman with the purple-brown hair strolled unhurriedly down the crystalline hallways of the place. She approached the doors to the throne room, and they were thrown upon as a servant announced her name.<p>

She walked calmly down the aisle to the throne, sparing nary a glance for the assembled youkai nobles and demon lords and ladies on either side of her. Her gaze and her focus were fixed solely on what lay in front of her.

Stopping before the throne, she curtsied deeply to one of the most powerful beings ever to walk the earth.

"I am called Byakuren Hijiri," she introduced herself, "and it is a pleasure to stand in the glory of the ruler and maker of this great realm I have been living in for these very many years."

"I am Shinki, creator of this realm," intoned the figure that reposed on the crystal throne, "and may I say, I am surprised I have not heard from you before. A youkai magician of your level of power would surely have drawn my attention before now."

The court murmured interestedly. So this was what had confused them. The magician must have maintained a human mask; one that only Shinki would have the power to see through. She must be powerful indeed, for other youkai magicians had been known, and their masks had fooled only the humans.

"My apologies," said Byakuren, curtsying again. "It has taken me many years to assemble the power required to send even this flimsy projection past the border that surrounds me and my people."

"Border?" mused the goddess, resting one cheek on a propped fist. "So you reside in Hokkai."

"Indeed, Your Greatness."

"Interesting. That area of my realm has been sealed for such a very long time now. I had almost forgotten it existed. No wonder your current form appears to be lacking in power, if it is only a projection, and one sent through the Hokkai barriers at that."

"Exactly as it is, Great Goddess. Though, may I say, your own power appears to be depleted as well."

The court gasped in shock. None had ever been so direct with the Ruler before.

A small smile appeared on Shinki's face.

"Perceptive, magician," she replied. "Indeed, at the moment, I am less than a fragment of myself. I have recently suffered a rather...ignominious defeat."

"I express my utmost wish for your well-being," stated Byakuren, "and would enquire as to the nature of those who defeated you."

"Your enquiry is granted. A group came to Makai, some years past. They were four in number: a miko, a human witch, a magician's spectre, and an ancient and powerful youkai. They came in response to my policy of allowing tourism to the human world. Evidently, they got their point across."

"I am sure your generosity had its part to play in their success."

"Your flatteries are appreciated but unwarranted." Shinki smiled benevolently. "Let us be frank. I was defeated fairly, and was given quite a sound beating at that."

"You honour me, Goddess."

"Yes, yes." Shinki was clearly becoming bored with the pleasantries. "Now, on to the reason for your visit. Was this merely a courtesy visit, or may I assume that you have an offer for me?"

"Your directness is appreciated," said Byakuren, curtsying again. "If Your Greatness would allow me, I would make a request."

"Which is?"  
>"An alliance." Byakuren looked Shinki squarely in the eyes. "Great Goddess, I was sealed in Hokkai long ago, for having joined with the youkai. In reality, I had not joined with the youkai; rather, I saw them as full beings like myself, and strived to aid them. If you would, I would like to have the same relationship with you and your subjects."<br>Shinki looked pensive, yet interested. "You do realize that we are mostly demons, here in Makai. We are not the same as those youkai you once knew in the world above."

"That is true. However, there is no doubt in my mind that you are full and true beings all the same."

"Is that so? Then, I would have you know, I cannot help you in breaking the barriers around Hokkai."

"I would never dream of asking you for such a favour. I have forces working for me in the world above. My presence here is purely in the interest of a lasting friendship between my people and yours."

"You say, your 'people'. What do you mean by this?"

"I was sealed along with many youkai, and a rather large number of fairies. I am sure that Your Greatness knows how a large number of fairies trapped within a small space can quickly lead to trouble."

"As a matter of fact, I have no lasting memory of fairies, as I have not been to the outside in some time." Now the goddess yawned. "I am tired, and I believe you have provided me with enough information for the time being. Allow us to retire. I will provide a full set of rooms for your projection; though it is a shade, I am sure it requires rest and privacy."

"Your generosity is received with heartfelt thanks, Goddess. Know that my soul is kindled by the warmth of your words."

"As it should be. Now, to rest. I will consider your request. In the morning, we shall speak again."

* * *

><p>Like everything in Pandaemonium, Byakuren's suite was constructed entirely out of beautiful crystal. The walls were warmly pulsing blue crystal, while the furniture was carved out of soft amber. There were two large and comfortable couches and a coffee table in the first room and a large four-poster bed in the second. Two large wardrobes and a gracefully carved dresser also stood against the walls, which were adorned with several paintings. Curious plants stood in jars upon small tables placed tastefully around the suite. Finally, a set of French doors were cut into the bedroom wall, leading out onto a balcony.<p>

Altogether it was a bit much for Byakuren. Ignoring most of it, she went immediately out onto the balcony and gazed out over Makai. Light still glowed from the city, lighting up the depths of the cavern. She smiled at the beauty of it; such heavy concentrations of life always caused her to reflect on the beauty of existence.

She then sat down on the balcony to meditate.

For two hours she sat there in contemplation. During this time she was not disturbed once, and she did not move at all. Her breathing slowed to the point where it was almost inaudible.

Then, after exactly two hours she stood.

"You can come out now," she said, seemingly to nobody.

However, she was not speaking to nobody: from the shadows appeared a maid in red and white, with long blonde hair. She stepped forward and bowed.

"Your abilities of perception are without measure," she complimented Byakuren. "Clearly, my silent protection was never necessary."

"Let's not be so formal, shall we?" said Byakuren as she stepped back inside, the French doors closing behind her. "And I know Shinki sent you to spy on me, so let's drop the 'bodyguard' act."

"Ah, you are indeed perceptive," said the maid. "I am honoured to be in your presence."

"If you're so honoured, would you care to speak more informally?" Byakuren sighed. "After today, I am tired of trying to be polite and proper."

"Ah. Um…all right, ma'am."

"Just call me Byakuren."

"Yes, Miss Byakuren."

The monk sighed. "You truly were trained well. Now, as you already know my name, I'd like to know if it would be possible to know yours."

"I am known as Yumeko, Miss Byakuren."

"Yumeko." Byakuren nodded. "All right, Yumeko. If you were sent to spy on me, then is it possible that you could tell me what Shinki thinks of my proposal?"

"Actually, Miss Byakuren… I came here of my own free will."

"Indeed?" Byakuren looked intrigued. "Why?"

"I, er…wanted to make sure you were really as peaceable as you seemed."

"So you were a spy." The monk sat back in a chair and rested her elbows on the table.. "Just not for Shinki."

"I guess you could call me that, yes."

"Well, I can assure you that my intentions are exactly as I have stated them. I have no intention of harming any of you. My only goal is to foster peace among our various races." She motioned to the chair opposite her. "Now why don't you take a seat? I can't have you just standing there."

"Ah…thank you, Miss Byakuren." Yumeko sat in the offered chair a little uncomfortably. As a maid, she wasn't used to this kind of generosity.

"Now why don't you tell me about yourself?" asked Byakuren interestedly.

Yumeko coughed nervously. "Well, once, a long time ago, I was a demon hunter in the outside world."

"A demon hunter and a youkai?" Byakuren's eyebrows lifted. "Interesting combination. Don't be alarmed; I was once a hunter myself, only I hunted youkai. That is why I can tell."

"Yes. Well." Yumeko fidgeted. "So, for many years, my sister and I hunted demons all across the land. We were very good at it too."

"I could tell: your powers of stealth are considerable, and your movements suggest that you are accustomed to fighting. Please, continue."

"Then, one day, we met Shinki."

"Ah." Byakuren nodded sympathetically. "I guess that didn't go very well."

"I was very badly injured, and my sister only barely got away. I can only hope that she is doing well right now. As for myself: Shinki took me in and healed my wounds."

Byakuren looked at the maid pensively over folded hands.

"So, I've been in service to her ever since. She saved my life, and I will be eternally grateful to her for that. When the humans invaded, I threw myself in front of them before I would let them touch Mima. They defeated me, but I nearly killed myself in order to weaken them." She sat up straighter with pride. "I would never let anyone harm Mistress Shinki. They'd have to immobilize me first, whether through death or otherwise."

"So I see." Byakuren nodded. "You truly are the perfect maid, Yumeko."

"Only if I could stop time to get all the chores done in a second."

They laughed together at the impossibility of it.

"It is late now," said Yumeko abruptly. "I will leave you to your rest."

"If you wish." Byakuren nodded understandingly. "However, I have no doubt that you will be watching over me."

Yumeko nodded back, turned, and faded away into the shadows.

Byakuren smiled, went out onto the balcony, and resumed her meditation.

* * *

><p>Late the next day, Byakuren was called back to the throne room.<p>

"I have reviewed your proposition, and found it to be beneficial to my kingdom," announced Shinki. "It is my will that we ally ourselves in the interest of common prosperity. I have already taken the initiative of drawing up a contract, which will unite our two people together. If you would care to look over it…"

A crystal table was carried into the room, upon which sat a single piece of parchment. It was set down in front of the monk, and she bent down to look at it.

"I see no issue with it," she announced after several minutes of careful reading. "You are truly a great wordsmith, Great Goddess. I assume it is a standard Tenth Level magical binding?"

"You are fluent in your magic terminology, magician," complimented Shinki gracefully. "However, are you capable of fulfilling the task set before you?"

Byakuren pulled out a small cylinder from her dress. She snapped it open, and a long, glowing scroll of mysterious symbols rolled out and flowed around her.

"Let us seal this contract," she intoned, her eyes glowing.

Shinki stepped down from her throne, and a large purple pentagram blinked into existence beneath her feet.

Byakuren stepped into the circle and stood in front of Shinki. Her scroll unfurled itself until it was hovering around them in a spiral shape. The contract lifted into the air and floated until it rested between them.

The two powerful magicians nodded to each other, confirming that they were prepared for what was to come.

A beam of light shot up from the pentagram and hit the roof of the throne room. I bounced around inside the walls of the crystal palace, sending refracted beams of light out into the deepest reaches of Makai.

Inside the throne room, the contract's words flowed off the parchment and hovered in the air as floating characters of fire. They then duplicated themselves, and one set swirled around each magician.

"I accept this contract," they both intoned, "written in fire upon my very soul, and engraved in the same fire on the vaults of Heaven. Should I break it, their combined wrath shall burn me where I stand. Let it be written."

The light intensified, temporarily blinding all present.

When it was done, Byakuren rolled up her sleeve to check. Sure enough, there were the letters of the contract, marked in black down the length of her arm. She rolled her sleeve back down and looked Shinki in the eye.

"You are a powerful magician indeed," said the goddess, rolling down her own sleeve. "Allow me to give you my compliments."

"Surely I am nothing beside yourself," replied Byakuren carefully.

The goddess of Makai smiled then, suddenly and startlingly.

"Come now, no need to be so formal," she said warmly. "We're practically sisters now, after all."

Then she embraced the former monk, and cheers rang out from the assembled crowd.

* * *

><p>"You really are a terrific magician," said Yumeko that night, with just a slight hint of awe. "I've never seen a Tenth Level binding completed successfully before. And through a projection, at that!"<p>

"Thank you, Yumeko." Byakuren accepted the praise with good grace. "I've had a lot of practice."

"Still…that was amazing."

Byakuren said nothing, instead sitting back down on the balcony and meditating.

"Byakuren?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you trying to create peace between the youkai and the humans?"

"Because I believe we are all beings of light, and deserve to live and be loved. We've all been created for a reason, and I refuse to believe that that reason includes killing and destroying each other."

"That's a noble idea."

"For me, it's not an idea. It's the truth."

"One last question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you still here? Why have you not simply dissolved your projection?"

"Well, for a couple of reasons. For one, it would have looked bad to refuse Shinki's hospitality. Second, this specific projection I devised for breaking the barrier requires one to travel physically back to the body."

"Oh, is that so?"

"And, also, I wanted to see you."

Yumeko was surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. Because even the best diplomats still require friends."

Yumeko was touched. "Thank you, Byakuren."

"Thank _you_, Yumeko, for trusting me. Although you came to spy on me, I could tell that you believed me. It was your faith that allowed me to get through the binding."

"I…I don't know what to say, Byakuren."

The maid sat next to the monk and looked out over Makai.

"It's such a beautiful place, isn't it?" She sighed. "I've spent so many years here, and yet it never ceases to amaze me."

"I can sense the life here." The former monk breathed deeply of the air around her. "Vibrantly beautiful. Every form of life is unique and wonderful in its own way, and nowhere have I felt it as strongly as here."

"If I ever leave, I'll definitely miss this place."

"Sometimes, leaving a place can be like that. But sometimes, we need to move on to discover what lies ahead." Byakuren turned to Yumeko and smiled. "I'm sure you know that feeling, correct?"

"Something like that." The maid stood and brushed off her skirt. "Well, I must be going now." She turned to leave. "Good night, Byakuren."

As the shadows swallowed her, Byakuren smiled again.

"Good night, Yumeko. See you in the morning."

* * *

><p>Out of the shadows in the throne room appeared a figure. She strolled out to the throne and knelt there, her head bowed down almost to the ground.<p>

Shinki hardly ever left her throne anymore: she was still regaining her power, and the throne acted like a collector for all of the faith in Makai. She looked down upon her servant and smiled fondly.

"How are you, Yumeko? I haven't seen you for a while. I expect you've been with our guest?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"I also expect you have come now to request permission to quit my presence."

The maid looked up and gasped. "Mistress! How did you…"

"You should know by now, Yumeko. Your every thought is open to me, written on your face."

Yumeko smoothed her face and kneeled respectfully again. "Mistress, as a youkai formerly residing in the upper world, you must understand –"

"I do. Feel free to go, child. You must return to your homeland. I've kept you here far too long."

Yumeko stood and bowed. "Mistress Shinki, please know that I have never regretted my decision to serve you."

"Yes, I know. Now go and pack up. I'm sure you'll want to leave early tomorrow morning. You wouldn't want to keep Byakuren waiting."

"Yes, I could never leave her waiting! Thank you, mistress!" The shadows rose up and swallowed her.

After she was gone, Shinki smiled maternally.

_"Your every thought is truly open to me_," she thought.

* * *

><p>"That was far too short and didn't really have any romance in it!" complained Ran. "And Byakuren? Why would a maid ever fall in love with Byakuren? And who is this Shinki?"<p>

"All your questions will be answered should we continue watching," said Yukari sagely. "Including your complaint about the romance; if I remember this one correctly, it takes a long time to set up, but in the end it's really satisfying."

"Well then, let's keep watching!"

"Nope, I'm bored. Channel change."

Chen snickered at Ran as Yukari changed the channel again.


	5. Robot in the Sunflowers

Robot in the Sunflowers

* * *

><p>Spring had once again come to Gensoukyou. This time around, the cherry trees had begun blossoming when they were supposed to, and their pink blossoms covered the mountain and swirled on the wind. In addition, the flowers were blooming normally; there were no flowers blooming out of season, though it remained to be seen whether or not the flowers would <em>stop<em> blooming at the expected time. It goes without saying that the majority of the residents had their fingers crossed that nothing weird would happen this year.

All the same, this in no way prevented them from having their usual cherry blossom viewing party. The regular group of youkai and magicians was gathered around – where else? – the shrine, lounging about on picnic blankets and snacking while enjoying the wonderful view and each other's company.

Also as usual, Reimu was less than happy about the arrangements.

"Why do they always come to the shrine?" she grumbled. "I always end up cleaning up, and they never help."

"Cheer up." Yuuka, who was sitting next to her, poured a dish of sake and handed it to her. "Your shrine has the best view in Gensoukyou. The flowers bloom the best around your shrine. And if there's one thing I know, it's flowers." She poured herself a dish and sipped at it.

"That doesn't make me feel much better," replied the miko sarcastically. "You'd think they'd at least make some donations while they're here, but no. They party here, and I don't get a single coin afterwards."

"Bah, you should loosen up," said Marisa, who was lying on her side. "Why do you think Moriya Shrine's getting so much money? It's 'cause their gods are so personable."

"Perhaps a bit too personable…" Reimu glared over to where Suwako was using her powers to summon small frogs out of her hat, getting _oohs_ and _aahs_ from Sunny Milk, Luna Child, Star Sapphire and Cirno. Cirno looked about ready to pounce on one of the frogs and freeze it. Sanae glared at her, and the ice fairy froze.

"Well, at least they're being social." Yuuka held out the pitcher of sake. "By the way, we're out."

"What, you expect me to get you more?"

"In a word … yes."

"Go find it yourself. I'm sure you know your way around the shrine by now."

"Fine, whatever." The youkai of flowers got up. "I'll be back in a second."

* * *

><p>In fact, Yuuka had no idea what she was doing.<p>

She wandered around the shrine for a while, unsure of where to look. She opened cupboards, doors and drawers, but found nothing even resembling sake. She tried the weird cold-box that had reportedly been a gift from Yukari, but found nothing there either.

_'What was it called? A 'refrigerator','_ she thought to herself.

Finally, after trying every door, there was only one left. It was a closet, set off to the side in a corner. She looked at it, not expecting to find anything. Sighing, she opened it.

Something cold and vaguely humanoid fell down on top of her.

There was an explosion, and a beam of light shot through the roof of the shrine. Reimu rushed inside to see exactly what was destroying her shrine _this_ time.

She found Yuuka, umbrella pointed at a strange figure lying on the floor.

"What is this?" she asked the miko. "Why do you have a human locked in your closet?"

"It's not a human, it's a doll." Reimu surveyed the damage. There was a large, smouldering hole going straight through the ceiling. "You'd better be prepared to fix this, Yuuka."

"When did you get a humanoid doll? And why?"

"Oh, she's from before. You know. Remember the scientists?"

"You mean, that time we went into the ruins before -"

"Shhhh! Yes!" Reimu waved a hand to silence the flower youkai. "Now remember, we're not supposed to talk about that. The before."

"I remember the rules! Anyway, how do you still have her?"

"I dunno. I guess she wasn't subject to the change, because she was from outside the boundary." Reimu shrugged. "That's just my guess. But one day, shortly after the Scarlet Devil incident, she just…stopped working."

"Really?"

"Yeah, no idea why. So I shut her up in here." Reimu suddenly started. "Now wait a second! Don't think you can talk your way out of fixing my roof!"

Yuuka sighed, raised a hand, and several strange plants grew up to cover the hole in the roof.

"That'll work until you get it properly fixed." She rested her umbrella over her shoulder.

"Make sure they won't overgrow everything, please," grumbled Reimu. "We don't want a repeat of the last time you had to fix something here."

"Don't worry, I didn't put any little jokes in them this time. Now about her." The flower youkai pointed to the forlorn mechanical maid lying on the ground.

"Yeah? What about her?"

"Mind if I take her?"

Reimu looked at Yuuka strangely.

"Why?"

"Maybe she's fixable. I could use a maid. For cleaning."

"Your mansion exists in a dream-realm. You don't _need_ to clean it."

"I meant my home in this reality, of course!" Yuuka clicked her tongue. "I have the gardens to take care of over on this side."

"Fine, fine. Take her." Reimu turned to leave. "Try the dollmaker. What was her name…"

"Alice." Marisa had joined them. "What do you need Alice for?"

"Yuuka's taking the maid." Reimu took Marisa by the arm and steered her out of the shrine. "Now come on, we have to attend to the guests."

"They're your guests, not mine!"

"Fine! Then get out because I don't want two Master Spark wielders in the same place!"

Yuuka reached down, picked up the robot maid, and tossed her over her shoulder. Perhaps Reimu had a point. The next day she would go to the Forest of Magic.

* * *

><p>Alice had a magic circle drawn out on the ground, and had placed the maid-doll in the centre of it. She was chanting slowly from a magical tome held in her hands.<p>

"So…we're both from before," said Yuuka in way of conversation.

Alice glared over at the flower youkai, and continued her chanting.

"Can't we talk about the old days? You know – before everything changed?"

Alice didn't answer, as she was intent on her spell.

"Remember that time we went to Makai and fought Shinki? And then you got this grimoire, and tried to beat all of us?"

A doll flew up from Alice's collection and hovered in front of Yuuka.

"Please don't talk. My mistress is concentrating. If you distract her, she's liable to blow up the entire house."

Yuuka shut up after that.

The magic circle glowed and pulsed. Magical energy swirled around the doll. The lines brightened one final time…and then dimmed to nothing.

"So what's the verdict?" asked Yuuka as Alice opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you." The dollmaker closed her tome and slid it under her arm. "There's no magic in it."

"What?" Yuuka looked stunned. "But that's impossible. To have a doll like that without any magic -"

"Have you even seen some of the stuff the kappa have been making?" Alice lifted up a finger, and the doll levitated and floated over to Yuuka. "You should ask them. I'd suggest Nitori, myself,"

"Thanks for trying," said the flower youkai, taking the maid-doll in her hands. "I think I'll go see the kappa."

* * *

><p>The Untrodden Valley lies at the base of Youkai Mountain. Through it courses a beautiful, clear river, stemming from the Waterfall of Nine Heavens.<p>

Yuuka Kazami walked along this river, the maid-doll slung over her shoulder, her umbrella in her right hand. In her left, she held a vegetable of some kind.

Deciding she had gone far enough, she stopped, put down the doll, and raised the vegetable over her head. It was a cucumber, freshly picked.

"Kappa! Hey, kappa!" yelled Yuuka. "I've got a snack here for you!"

There was a splash, out on the river, and something jumped out of the water. It landed in front of Yuuka on one knee, and stood up.

"What do you think we are, pets that you can call whenever you want?" asked Nitori Kawashiro, adjusting her cap and her backpack. "Although the snack is greatly appreciated."

"It's payment," replied Yuuka. "I've got something for you to look at. A broken doll."

"Doll? Shouldn't you talk to the dollmaker about that?"

"I already did. There's no magic in it, she says. Care to take a look at it?"

In response, Nitori pulled a toolkit out of her backpack and began fussing over the doll. Her nimble hands played with nuts and bolts and screws, opening strange compartments that Yuuka hadn't seen before. It was slightly disconcerting when she stripped the doll of her clothes, but then she turned it onto its front and opened up a plate in its back.

A draft of cold air wafted out. Nitori peered inside, then closed it again and redressed the doll.

"Well, I can safely say I've never seen anything like it before," she said finally, wiping grease off of her hands. "Whatever that is, it's running nuclear."

"Nuclear? Like the hell-raven?"

"Not quite. I'd say this is fission, not fusion. But, strangely enough, the reactor's frozen solid."

"Frozen?"

"Completely encased in ice. Whatever put this out of commission, it wasn't an accident."

"Huh. So should I go see the hell-raven?"

"Yeah, I'd say Utsuho is your best bet now. I don't really feel comfortable fooling around with nuclear reactors, especially something this advanced. This probably beats out anything we currently have by a good ten thousand years."

"Thank you. I suppose I'll head for the furnace, then."

* * *

><p>The nuclear furnace lies deep underneath Gensoukyou, far beneath even the Former Hell. Night and day the giant nuclear reactors burn incessantly, producing power for everyone in Gensoukyou.<p>

Managing the nuclear furnace is the hell-raven Utsuho Reiuji, who holds the power of the sun god Yatagarasu. With her powers she keeps the furnaces in check, and makes sure the electricity is constantly supplied to everyone in Gensoukyou. Beneath her work several teams of kappa engineers, but secretly, she doesn't think they actually do anything.

On Nitori's advice Yuuka had come to see Utsuho, in the hopes of reactivating the maid-doll acquired from Reimu.

"What do you want?" asked Utsuho from where she floated above a reactor.

"I've got something for you to look at!" called Yuuka. "There's a reactor inside this thing, encased in ice!"

"What? Ice?" Utsuho immediately flew down. "Was it that damned ice fairy?"

"Have you seen this before?"

"Yeah, the stupid little brat keeps wandering down here and freezing the reactors." She huffed angrily. "I wouldn't have figured anyone but Letty would have that much ice power, but apparently the fairy can pull it off. I keep unfreezing them, but she just wanders down again. If it weren't for her resurrection I'd burn her to a crisp. Hell, I might turn her into ash anyways, just to relieve some stress."

"I'll ask Suwako to talk to her. Can you take a look?"

She held out the doll. Utsuho looked it over, and ran her hand over it.

"Yeah, I feel it," she said. "Give me a second…"

She smacked the doll with her control rod. There was a cracking sound, and steam began pouring out of the doll's body.

With a whirring noise, the doll's eyes snapped open.

"Mistress, the ice fairy and the magician are here!" she called out. Then she look around herself, and up at Yuuka who was still holding her. "Wait a minute. Who are you people?"

"Froze more than just the reactor, looks like," remarked Utsuho. "I'll leave the rest to you."

She flew off to another part of the furnaces, leaving Yuuka with one very lost and very confused little robot.

* * *

><p>Yuuka had a small cottage, hidden away in a remote part of Gensoukyou. It was surrounded by a sprawling meadow, and all around it sunflowers bloomed, their yellow heads stretching up to the sun hanging in the midday sky. Their smell filled the air: a green smell, a growing smell.<p>

Inside the cottage, Yuuka had a fire going. The robot maid was seated in a chair near it, wrapped in a blanket. She sneezed occasionally.

"So what was your name again?" asked Yuuka.

"Ruukoto," replied the robot. "Excuse me, but do you happen to know what happened to Mistress Reimu?"

"She's just fine. You're going to be living with me from now on. I'm Yuuka."

"Mistress Yuuka." The maid seemed to think it over for a while. "Did Mistress Reimu give me to you?"

"Yes, actually. Why?"

"Oh." The robot's expression became crestfallen. "It must have been because I'm a failure as a maid. I knew it." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Hey, don't cry." Yuuka patted her head. "I'm sure it wasn't like that at all."

"Yes it was. That's why Mistress Yumemi gave me away to Mistress Reimu." The robot sobbed some more. "I never was a very good maid."

"Now don't talk like that. You probably just need practice." Yuuka thought for a moment. "In fact, I'm going to make sure you become the best maid ever."

"Really?" Ruukoto looked up. "Can you do that?"

"Absolutely." Yuuka smiled down at her. "We'll make that miko sorry that she left you in the closet for so long."

"She locked me _in a closet?_"

Ruukoto started crying again. Yuuka sighed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Yuuka got up bright and early as usual. However, she was surprised to see that Ruukoto was already awake and cooking breakfast.<p>

"I don't actually sleep," she explained. "I put my systems into hibernation, but I don't actually sleep. I don't eat either, but I made breakfast especially for you."

Unfortunately, the eggs were horribly burnt by the time Ruukoto remembered to take them off, and the bacon was barely recognizable. Yuuka was thankful that she didn't need to have breakfast either; the energy from the flowers would keep her going.

She presented Ruukoto with a new pair of clothes: a work shirt, a tough pair of brown pants, a gardener's apron, and a wide-brimmed straw hat. Ruukoto gave her a questioning look.

"I know you're supposed to be a maid, but I don't really need a maid so much around here," explained Yuuka. "You can help me in the garden, though."

After the robot had changed, Yuuka led her out into the wide field of sunflowers "The Garden of the Sun," she announced grandly. "Every flower here, I grew myself. Each one is individual and special. I could use my powers to make them all grow, of course, but that wouldn't be fair to them. They're all living beings, beautiful and unique in their own way, and that's why I grow them."

Ruukoto looked around herself in wonder.

"The one thing I use my powers for is to make sure the weather here is always perfect. Spring, summer, fall, winter, it's always just right here."

Yuuka had her umbrella out, and led Ruukoto down the aisles. The sunflowers loomed over them on either side, almost as if they were watching over them.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Ruukoto in awe. "Where I come from, there aren't really that many plants anymore."

"Must be awful," commented Yuuka. "By the way, you can't talk to anyone about where you came from or how you got here. If anyone asks, the kappa built you for me. Okay?"

"Yes, Mistress Yuuka."

"Just call me Yuuka. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, Yuuka."

The flower youkai smiled back at her new ward. "You can try weeding the garden, for starters. It's pretty easy. Just crawl in around the flowers, and pull out anything that's shorter than they are. Providing it's not a new flower, of course. Seeds do fall from these flowers, and germinate in the soil next to the parent."

"How will I be able to tell?"

Yuuka leaned over and pulled out a flower from the herd. "See the leaves?" She indicated the leaf. "Memorize the shape. If the sprout has a leaf like this, it's probably a new flower."

"Okay…I think I understand."

"Then you can get working." Yuuka snapped her fingers, and a large basket floated out and landed in Ruukoto's hands. "Put the weeds in there. At the end of the day, I'll check for you."

* * *

><p>It was long and tedious work. Ruukoto was built for such work, however, and she worked tirelessly through the day. When the sun was just about ready to lay down on the horizon, she made her way back to the cottage.<p>

Yuuka was there, her umbrella in hand. She took Ruukoto's basket and surveyed it.

"I'd say that about…eighty percent of these is weeds. The other twenty percent is sunflower sprouts."

"I'm sorry, Mistress," apologized the robot, her eyes tearing up again. "I didn't mean to!"

"You actually did very well. When I started out I never got any flowers, because I would always pull them out. And I'm a youkai of flowers. This is very good for a first day of work."

"Oh, thank you Yuuka!" Ruukoto smiled happily.

"Now come with me," ordered the youkai.

She led the robot around to the back of the cottage, where she had cleared a new patch of soil several metres away from the wall.

"I've already mulched and fertilized this soil," said Yuuka. "Now we just need some flowers to put there."

Her eyes began to glow, and from the basket, several plants rose up, hovering in the air. With a wave of her hand they floated out over the soil, and planted themselves there, approximately half a metre apart. With one final pulse of power, they revitalized and stood straight.

"This will be your garden," said Yuuka. "It's your responsibility, to tend to every day. You have to do work for me too, of course, but don't forget."

Ruukoto knelt down and looked at the little sprouts growing in the soil. They seemed to wave at her as a slight breeze blew through.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," she said in a soft voice.

"Just wait until they're all grown," said Yuuka with a smile. "I know they'll grow well, with you looking after them."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"If there's one thing I know, it's flowers. And I can already tell that they love you."

That night, while Yuuka slept, Ruukoto dreamt. In her dreams she saw the golden heads of her sunflowers, waving in the blue sky.

* * *

><p>The next day, Yuuka had to leave.<p>

"I've got a bit of business to look after today," she said. "While I'm gone, could you water the flowers? Normally I count on the rain, but it we've had a bit of a dry spell recently. You'll have no problems with it, correct?"

Ruukoto said yes, and Yuuka flew off towards the Forest of Magic.

So Ruukoto was left alone.

The first thing she did was open up the shed and pull out the watering can she had seen there. It was well-crafted, sculpted finely, and had a sunflower printed on the side. She took this can over to the small creek that flowed through the garden, and filled it. Then she took it to her own little garden, and watered the plants there. They seemed to dance in joy as she did so.

Then she looked out at the massive expanse of the garden. It would surely take far too long to water the entire expanse with such a tiny watering can, walking back and forth between the creek and the fields. She'd have to find a better way to do it.

So she switched into Heavy-Duty Cleaning Mode.

Great pauldrons grew out of her shoulders, and armour appeared around her chest. Greaves and protective boots wrapped themselves around her legs, and a plate skirt unsheathed from around her waist. She held out her arms, and gauntlets encased her forearms.

Also referred to as Intruder Repulsion Mode, the new form gave her a considerable power boost and access to a range of new abilities. One of those happened to be a tool often used for soaking down long hallways of spaceships in seconds.

She lifted her right arm, and it transformed into a cannon. With a _thump_ it fired a projectile upwards. The slightly-glowing blue sphere rose into the heavens, to the height of where the clouds would be if there had been any. For a moment it blinked with light reflected from the sun.

Then, it exploded.

Returning to Normal Mode, Ruukoto stood with her arms outstretched as a light rain fell down upon the flower fields.

* * *

><p>When Yuuka returned, Ruukoto was in the middle of drying out her clothes. She had borrowed one of the youkai's blouses, and was sitting by the fire. In front of her were hung out the soaked set of work clothes. Her green hair hung in wet strands around her head.<p>

"I see you had quite the time watering the flowers," said Yuuka with a wry smile.

"My apologies, Mistre – ah, Yuuka. I could not find any other clothes."

"No worries, Ruukoto. I'll take you into the human village tomorrow, and we'll buy you some or your own. For now, though, you have a visitor."

To Ruukoto's surprise, the magician clad in black and white walked in.

"Miss Kirisame!" she said in surprise. "It's so good to see you! I see you've changed your costume."

"Um, yeah…" The magician scratched her head. "It's nice to see you again too, I guess…"

Yuuka reached out and prodded Marisa with her umbrella. The blonde magician suddenly turned pale.

"Oh, right, I'm here to say sorry."

"For what?"

"For freezing you. Yeah. Sorry."

She got another prod from the umbrella.

"I was jealous of Reimu so I froze you and I'm sorry please forgive me!" The words rushed out of her mouth in a single breath.

"Oh. Well, I forgive you."

Marisa sighed before turning to Yuuka in fear. The youkai nodded, and the magician ran out.

"That was awfully nice of her," said Ruukoto, pleased.

"Of course it was." Yuuka didn't drop her smile for a second. "The ice fairy would be here too, except she was recently swallowed by a giant frog."

"How terrible!"

Suddenly, they both smelled smoke. Ruukoto jumped to pull her slightly-singed clothes away from the fire, while Yuuka laughed.

* * *

><p>Days passed, and Ruukoto's flowers grew a little taller with each day. After twenty days they were several inches high, and their green leaves waved in a friendly way every time she passed.<p>

She still messed up, and often, but as time wore on she had begun to mess up less and less. Already she was able to dust without knocking anything over.

The best part was, Yuuka never grumbled or complained when she broke anything. She just smiled calmly and gave her advice. Ruukoto's reactor glowed a little every time Yuuka helped her.

After those first twenty days, Yuuka sent the robot maid into the village by herself for the first time.

"There's a concert coming up soon," she explained, "and I need some supplies. Get everything on this list, using the money in this pouch." She gave the robot the pouch and the list. "If you work hard, I'll let you watch the concert when it happens."

Ruukoto accepted, and, putting on the best of her new outfits, she walked to town.

The village was bustling, as usual. Shops were set up all over, and Ruukoto peered curiously at their various wares. She asked for help finding the materials on the list, bought things, and put them in a basket she had taken along specifically for carrying her purchases.

She turned a corner, and saw another maid in the midst of shopping.

Her uniform was blue, and her hair was silver. She stood at ease, but in every angle of her body was the restrained violence of wildcats. She looked up, and her red eyes fell upon the robot maid.

"Oh, you're new," she said, walking over. "How nice to meet you. I am Sakuya." She extended her hand.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Ruukoto." Ruukoto extended her own hand to shake Sakuya's, but dropped her basket in the process of doing so. She scrambled about on all fours to gather together the scattered items.

"I see you're not very accustomed to your job," Sakuya remarked. "I can tell you're a maid, but you're obviously not very experienced."

"Ah, not really," said the robot, gathering up her basket. "I served Mistress Yumemi for many years, but I was never very good…"

"Yumemi?" Sakuya looked puzzled. "I've never heard that name before."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm serving Mistress Yuuka right now."

"Yuuka?" Sakuya laughed. "That sadist?"

"Yuuka is a very kind and generous youkai!" said Ruukoto heatedly.

"Oh, of course. I'm terribly sorry." Sakuya's smile was all apologies, but her eyes glinted with restrained laughter.

"Did I hear that someone is serving Yuuka now?" Another silver-haired girl appeared, clad in a green dress and carrying two swords on her waist.

"Yes, I'm her gardener and maid," said Ruukoto.

"Did Yuyuko get hungry again?" asked Sakuya.

"Yes. She wants French cuisine this time."

"Oh, I can give you some good recipes for that."

"Thank you so much." The girl turned to the robot. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Youmu. What's your name?"

"Ruukoto." The robot looked at a white, wispy thing that had floated up to Youmu's shoulder. "Um, what's that?"

"Oh, that's Myon. My ghost half." She patted it affectionately.

"You're half-ghost?"

"Yes. But anyway, what's it like, working for Yuuka?"

"Oh, it's the greatest!" Ruukoto moved her arms enthusiastically. "She's always so nice to me, and never gets mad when I mess up. I've improved a lot with her!"

"Sounds great," said Youmu. "Just make sure you don't do anything to really get on her bad side."

"What?"

"Yuuka's known for having a bit of a temper," explained Sakuya. "There are many stories of her penchant for destructive retribution."

"Yuuka's not anything like that!" argued Ruukoto angrily.

"For your own sake, I hope you're right," said Youmu. "Now, what are you doing in town?"

"Oh, I'm getting the stuff that's on this list."

She showed them the list. They both read it, and looked at the contents of her basket.

"You didn't buy anything on this list," said Sakuya dryly.

They helped her find what she was actually looking for, and then they parted ways.

* * *

><p>Two days later, the concert occurred.<p>

Yuuka's garden was, and always had been, a popular spot for youkai to gather. Ruukoto had already met several of them; mostly fairies, and on one occasion a tengu. The tengu, a crow tengu, had been very eager about Ruukoto, and had asked many questions. Then she'd taken pictures. Ruukoto had no idea why, though.

That night, though, the night of the concert, youkai showed up from all over. Tengu and kappa from Youkai Mountain, earth spiders and hell ravens and nekomata from the Former Hell, even ghosts from the Netherworld had come. The Prismriver Sisters were a very popular band.

Ruukoto was surprised to hear her name being called out. She turned around to see Sakuya strolling towards her through the sunflowers.

"Sakuya! What are you doing here?" asked the robot maid.

"My mistress decided she wished to see the concert," said the maid. "They so rarely happen at night; she decided she couldn't afford to waste the opportunity."

"Where is your mistress?" Ruukoto looked about. "I can't see her."

Sakuya pulled a watch out of her pocket and snapped it open. Ruukoto blinked, and when she opened her eyes, a gorgeously beautiful table was set out before her. It was set with tea for two, and in one of the two chairs was sitting a young girl garbed in fancy red clothes. Two leathery wings were folded against her back.

"Thank you, Sakuya," said the young girl quietly. "You truly are the perfect maid."

Ruukoto looked on jealously as Sakuya bowed in response to her master's praise.

"You. Other maid."

Ruukoto jumped. "Me?"

"Yes, you. I hear you're serving Yuuka Kazami."

"Um, yes, I am."

"Fetch your mistress for me."

The girl's tone left no room for disobedience. Ruukoto took off running.

She eventually found Yuuka, standing in the middle of a small circle of sunflowers. She was singing softly while drawing a complicated diagram in the centre of the circle using her umbrella. The sunflowers swayed gently to the time of her song.

"Yuuka!" called the robot. "You have a guest who wishes to see you."

Yuuka looked up from her drawing. "That'll be Remilia." She returned to her drawing. "Well, she's early, so she can wait."

"What are you doing, Yuuka?"

"This?" She inscribed another line with her umbrella. "This is just a little something for the show. Special effects. Here, I'll take you somewhere where you can see them best."

Yuuka extended her hand, and Ruukoto took it hesitatingly. Her reactor flared as she was suddenly and unexpectedly lifted up into the air. For a moment she whirled in midair, flying, breathless with excitement.

Then she was settling down on the roof of the cottage. Next to her, Yuuka released her hand.

"Here we are. Best seats in the house. Go on, sit."

The flower youkai sat on the roof, and Ruukoto followed her example. From where they were they were able to see over the heads of the assembled crowd. Fairies flitted by, waving at the pair sitting on the rooftop.

"The garden looks so nice from here," remarked Ruukoto.

"You think it's nice now? Wait until the show starts."

Suddenly there was a burst of piano music. Lights lit up all around the garden, shooting bright beams up into the sky. As a violin entered the melody, giant balls of light shot up, swirling around the garden before finally forming a ring of light.

In the centre of the ring, another light lit up, and standing there were the three Prismriver Sisters. The last of them began to play her violin, and they began dancing around the circle as they played their song.

The crowd laughed and cheered, clapping along with the music. Here and there miniature dances started, moving along with the rhythm of the song.

"Amazing…" breathed Ruukoto.

"The power of music," said Yuuka with a smile. "Isn't it wondrous? That something as simple as sound can reach out and touch the hearts of all these people. At this moment, they are all connected."

"Oh. That must be great." Ruukoto looked down despondently at her chest. "Too bad I don't have a heart. All I have is this reactor."

Yuuka laughed, and Ruukoto looked at her quizzically.

"I should have phrased that differently," she said. "See, think of everyone as a glass figurine. And inside each figurine is a little candle. It'll be snuffed out eventually, but while it burns, it's the most beautiful thing in the world." She pointed at Ruukoto's chest. "Your candle is just a little different. A little brighter."

Ruukoto smiled happily, and a sensation of immense pleasure filled her emotions databank.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to play host for Remilia or she'll be offended. Enjoy the rest of the show!"

Yuuka slid off of the rooftop and hovered over to where Remilia sat, attended on by Sakuya.

Ruukoto watched the rest of the spectacle. Deep inside herself, she felt a connection with the crowd. The music was harmonizing them all together, bringing them to the same wavelength, the same rhythm. So long as the music played, they were one in mind and soul.

That night, she replayed her recordings of the music over and over again, savoring each note.

* * *

><p>A month passed. Ruukoto's sunflowers continued to grow taller. She was nearly at the point where she had learned everything about taking care of them. She made little to no mistakes, something that caused her infinite amounts of joy with each waking minute. Yuuka's praise made her reactor fluctuate.<p>

However, something constantly nagged at the back of her head. Some subroutine kept calling itself in the depths of her coding. Whenever she was out in the garden, kneeling in the dirt, a single directive arose in her mind:

It told her to clean.

So it was that she found herself making a request of Yuuka.

"My prime directive is as a maid," she told the flower youkai, "and I still wish to fulfill it."

"Do you mean to say you wish for training?" Yuuka sat back on her heels next to the flower she was tending to. "I'm sorry, but I can't really help you there. All I have is this one little cottage, and my mansion in the dream world does not require cleaning."

"That's all right, Yuuka. I already had somebody in mind to be my teacher."

"I've told you before that you can take some time off whenever you want. If this is what you want, go do it."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Ruukoto returned. Her shoulders were slumped and her head hung low with shame. Leading her down the path was a very weary-looking Sakuya.<p>

Trudging up to the cottage door, she knocked briskly, three times. Yuuka emerged, clad in her pyjamas, and looked sleepily down at the robot and the maid.

"There were problems?" she asked bluntly.

"In the last twenty-four hours," said Sakuya tiredly, "I spent an entire week cleaning up her mistakes."

"Control over time is useful. But she can't have been that bad?"

"I had to reconstitute the _entire west wing_ of the mansion."

"To complete that in a week? You truly are the perfect maid."

"Yuuka, I cannot train her." Sakuya sighed with fatigue, and more than a little bit of frustration. "I don't mean that she cannot be trained. I just simply do not have the time to clean up the messes."

"To think that the perfect and elegant maid of time travel would ever say that." Yuuka leaned against the doorframe with a smile. "But I really want Ruukoto to reach her full potential. So I guess I'll just have to give you somewhere else to practice."

* * *

><p>The great oaken doors groaned as they were flung open. As they did so, hundreds of candle flames burst to light in the crystal chandeliers, throwing light all around the massive foyer of Mugenkan, Yuuka's mansion in the Dream World.<p>

The two maids stepped inside and looked about themselves in awe. Yuuka followed them in, closing her umbrella.

"Time passes differently in this realm," said the flower youkai calmly. "I believe you'll find that you will have plenty of time in here."

"Such a spectacular place only adds to the potential for destruction." Sakuya turned on Yuuka. "Regardless of the time difference, I will still personally be spending weeks, months, maybe even years on this."

"Now, you don't think I brought you here without reason, do you?" Yuuka smiled again. "Observe."

She lifted her umbrella up, and a beam of light shot out of it. It blazed upwards, burning a smoking hole in the ceiling.

However, the hole soon faded, and finally disappeared.

"This mansion is built on dreams; my dreams. And right now…"

She smiled at Ruukoto.

"My dream is for this fine young lady to become the greatest maid to ever live."

Sakuya nodded.

"I will train her, if only for the friendship between our mistresses."

She motioned to Ruukoto.

"Come. Let us begin."

* * *

><p>Months passed, in that realm outside of time. Ruukoto trained, and trained hard. She never slept, and never tired. Eventually even Sakuya found it hard to keep up with her sheer ability to persevere. Ruukoto never faltered, not once, always giving her all in her training.<p>

And she improved. Her efforts paid off, and she gradually increased her abilities. Eventually she was even outpacing Sakuya, time-alteration powers notwithstanding.

After one particularly brutal cleaning session, Sakuya sat down with Ruukoto and asked her what her secret was.

"It's something to do with here." She placed a hand on her chest. "The flame inside my heart."

"What do you mean?" Sakuya had asked curiously.

"Something Yuuka told me." She gave the maid a small smile. "That's why I can't let her down."

So Ruukoto continued to improve.

Then came a day when things were different. Instead of putting her through a grueling gauntlet of cooking, cleaning and general servitude, Sakuya met Ruukoto in the garden behind the mansion. They sat together at a daintily carved wooden table and looked out over the rows of neatly grown flowers.

"You have learned everything I have taught you so far," said Sakuya, not looking at her student. "You've made amazing progress. In cooking, cleaning, and other such tasks, you have come to the point where I can teach you no more."

"Thank you." The robot bowed her head a little to show her appreciation. "I can't wait to see Yuuka again."

"However." Now the maid looked at her student coldly, her bright red eyes gleaming mysteriously. "That is not to say that your lessons have been completed."

There was a rushing sound, and the sound of a blade being unsheathed. There was a blur through the garden…

And there was Youmu, standing behind Sakuya, sheathing her blade as sliced leaves and petals swirled about in the wake of her passage.

"You wish to be a maid and a gardener, correct?" The half-ghost stared down at the robot maid. "Sakuya called me in to aid with this final test."

"Indeed." Now the maid was standing, and an array of knives materialized in her hands.

"The last lesson. Defending your mistress."

Ruukoto stood calmly, pushing her chair back into place. She retreated a bit, then turned to face her opponents.

"All right."

She engaged Intruder Repulsion Mode, and the armour appeared around her, startling both Youmu and Sakuya. The helm appeared, and the visor dropped over her eyes.

"Give me your best. I will defend my mistress."

"Then defend!"

Youmu rushed her, slicing the table and both chairs in half. Her sword rushed out, whipping towards the robot maid. As it did so it cleaved the very air asunder, splitting it in two.

Ruukoto's hand flung out and intercepted the blade, catching it in the palm. A ringing pealed out, as of bells, followed by the crash as the two bodies of air slammed back together.

"H – how?" gasped Youmu, her hands shuddering at the force of the impact. "There is nothing my Roukanken cannot cut!"

"Provided it is given ample force," said Ruukoto in a clipped, neutral tone. "A simple force reduction field takes care of that."

Her hand closed around the blade, and she turned and tossed Youmu out into the garden.

There was a flash, and suddenly she was surrounded by knives. They shot at her.

She let out a blast of force, and the knives scattered into the bushes.

"Quick thinking," said Sakuya, who stood in front of her, a pocket watch in her hand. "However, I doubt you will be quick enough to avoid this next attack."

She pressed a button on the watch.

"Detecting Rank A temporal field," intoned Ruukoto. "Deploying counter-field."

Suddenly, a blue field burst out from Ruukoto's body, repressing and washing away the red one emanating from Sakuya's watch. The watch sparked, and the maid dropped it in surprise.

"Hah!" came a yell from the bushes, and Youmu burst out, wielding both of her swords. The first sword was blocked just as before, but Ruukoto had not anticipated the two blades, and Youmu was given an opening to score a hit with her second weapon.

"If I cannot cleave your body, I will cleave your mind in half!" yelled the samurai gardener as she swung her other blade.

It passed harmlessly a centimetre from Ruukoto's head. The robot maid shrugged, and tossed Youmu again, this time so that she landed next to Sakuya. Her swords clattered across the ground, landing in a heap next to her.

The gardener and the maid rose and faced the robot. Ruukoto prepared for more fighting, and summoned two green energy blades in her hands.

Then, surprisingly, the two servants bowed.

"You've completed your training," said Sakuya as Youmu picked up her swords. "You've surpassed every expectation I had."

Ruukoto disengaged and returned to normal mode.

"Yuuka's lucky to have a gardener such as you," said Youmu, re-sheathing her blades. "Where do you get such enormous strength, anyway?"

Ruukoto smiled knowingly.

"Well, I just imagined that you were going to attack Yuuka," she said simply. "What else was I to do?"

* * *

><p>Ruukoto returned home just as the sun was beginning to set behind the Youkai Mountain. Her shadow went ahead of her as she approached the little cottage in the centre of the garden.<p>

When Yuuka answered the door, she immediately flung her arms around her.

"Oh, Yuuka!" Her words were muffled, as she was saying them directly into the youkai's shoulder. "I missed you so much!"

"Oh? But it's only been a week for me."

Ruukoto looked up into the youkai's face, tears shining in her eyes.

"Yes, but for me, I had to spend months without you. You haven't changed at all from how I remember you."

"Yes, but you've changed a lot." Yuuka took Ruukoto's face in her hands. "I can tell just looking at you. You've become a great maid, haven't you?"

Ruukoto's tears flowed freely as she nodded her head vigorously in response.

* * *

><p>The seasons came and went, but it was always spring in Yuuka's garden. Ruukoto worked hard every day for Yuuka, to repay a debt that nobody else could see. Eventually she came to be seen as a permanent fixture of the garden, always toiling away in the fields of sunflowers.<p>

She attended every single concert with a singular fixation. No matter who was playing, the feeling of being a part of such a diverse group of people always caused her CPU to miss a few clock cycles. Then, afterwards, she would sit back, her processors racing along, trying to find the source of her deep feelings. She would always, eventually, put it down as one of the many mysteries of Gensoukyou.

It was at one such concert that she saw Reimu again.

It was daytime, and the Prismriver sisters were performing their melodic, ethereal dance through the bright midday sky. Their songs had the audience captivated, including Ruukoto, who had given almost all of her processing power over to enjoying the concert.

Thus, she was startled when somebody tapped on her shoulder.

She whirled around to see Reimu Hakurei. The miko smiled at her.

"Mistress Reimu…" breathed the robot.

"Ruukoto," said the miko. "Would you like to take a walk somewhere where we can hear each other a little better?"

Ruukoto's training brought her back to reality. She calmly and coolly led her former mistress around the back of the cottage, where her own personal garden was blooming.

Ruukoto's flowers had grown so much since their initial planting. Now they were some of the tallest and brightest in the garden. They swayed overhead, casting flickering shadows over the pair that walked through their midst. In the warm air they danced to the rhythm of the Prismrivers' music, and to some other, unheard music: the music of the earth and sky, of rain and sunshine.

"Your garden is beautiful," complimented Reimu. "You take care of this all yourself?"

"With a little help from Yuuka, yes," said Ruukoto coolly. "She really is quite knowledgeable about flowers."

"If there's one thing she knows…" Reimu laughed out loud. "But then, I suspect that there are a lot of things she knows. She's told me all about your improvement."

"Is that so?" Inwardly, Ruukoto felt a frisson of joy, to know that Yuuka had bragged about her to others. "Well, I shouldn't take any credit. Really, it was Yuuka who helped me improve."

"And how you've improved!" Reimu chuckled. "Almost makes me wish I hadn't given you away! You don't think you could come clean the shrine for me, could you?"

Ruukoto froze. Something pinged in her databanks. Some order or command presented itself at the forefront of her thoughts, demanding attention.

"Mistress Reimu…" she began, a little quietly.

"Yes?" asked the miko curiously.

"Well…technically I was never officially given to Yuuka…I mean, I was asleep, so…I mean, technically, Mistress Yumemi's order to serve you still stands." She bobbed her head quickly. "So I…I mean…if you wanted, you could order me, and…I could come back and work for you."

She bowed her head sadly. Surprisingly, Reimu took her chin, and lifted it back up.

"Where do you want to be, Ruukoto?" she asked.

"What…?"

"You've worked long and hard to become what you are today," began Reimu. "So I think you've earned this. The right to choose where you want to be. Who you want to be with."

A single cycle, less than a nanosecond, was required for Ruukoto to find her answer.

"I want to be with Yuuka," she said, without doubt, without any hesitation.

"Then I hereby officially hand you over to Yuuka's care." Reimu took the robot's hand and shook it. "Congratulations, Ruukoto. You've come so far."

"Thank you…" Ruukoto was having trouble believing what had just transpired.

"Well, I don't want anybody saying I'm cold-hearted. I just have one question."

"What?"

"Why?"

This time it took Ruukoto a moment to process her answer. All of her experiences and memories were carefully weighed, measured, and taken into account into her final answer.

"Because I love her," she said simply.

"You know that, to her, you're just somebody she decided to help," said Reimu in response. "And a servant, on top of that."

"I know," replied Ruukoto, suddenly seeing everything clearly. "But that doesn't matter to me. I just want to make her happy."

"Hm." Reimu smiled down at the robot. "Then Yuuka's one very lucky youkai."

Reimu floated up, preparing to leave. She waved down at the robot.

"Goodbye, Ruukoto," she said. "I hope your dreams come true."

Ruukoto waved back cheerfully.

"Goodbye," she said, "although most of my dreams have come true already."

Just then Yuuka came around the corner, her umbrella stretched over her head.

"Have you seen Reimu?" asked the youkai. "I have something to ask of her."

"She just left," explained Ruukoto. "Now, may I ask, why do you have your umbrella?"

"Because it's about to rain. Come on over."

Ruukoto ducked under the umbrella just as the first drops began falling from the sky. Then, quickly, it changed into a downpour. Ruukoto and Yuuka were safe inside their small area of protection as everything around them got drenched.

"Too bad, I guess this means the concert is cancelled." The flower youkai looked down at her maid. "Why don't we go find something to do in town instead?"

"Yuuka…thank you so much."

"Hm?"

"Come on, let's go!"

The pair skipped merrily down the path towards town, splashing in the puddles, safe underneath their umbrella, while around them everybody else got soaked to the bone.

* * *

><p><strong>I enjoyed this one much more. Having realized what was wrong with the previous chapter, I was able to create a story I liked.<strong>

**Let's take a moment to solemnly reminisce on Ruukoto, who was given to Reimu in one ending of ****Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream, and never seen again. ****Naturally, I blame Marisa.**


	6. A Poisonous Shade of Green

It was evening. The sun was setting way in the west, casting everything in the valley into shadow, and turning the sky shades of pink, orange and purple.

The path was made of stone, and it wound up the mountain trail towards a long flight of stairs. Trees waved overhead and to the side, casting a shifting curtain of shadows over everything. Everywhere, everything smelled of green. And, underneath the green, another smell. An old smell; an ancient smell. A smell of lost secrets.

The steps were high, but not too high. Not hard to climb at all, if one kept at it. The peacefulness of the surroundings, the pleasant rustling of the wind, kept one going, until one reached the top.

And at the top there was the shrine.

It was old and run-down. The gate was practically unpainted, and tilted drunkenly to one side. The shrine proper was, at that point, a shrine in name only. Still, there was a door, and a roof, and a donation box sitting forlornly on the front step. Enough to warrant stepping inside for a bit.

If one did take the unheard invitation and step inside, one would find a passingly strange sight. For within the shrine, was another gate. This one was smaller, only about six or seven feet in height, but a gate all the same, as if someone had shrunk the other gate and transplanted it inside the shrine. This gate, however, was in far better condition, gleaming red as if it were painted just before you got there, and the painter was about to come back and place a "Wet Paint" sign in front of it.

Aside from its strange condition, this gate radiated an aura of mystery. If one were to look at it, not straight on, but slightly to the side, one would perceive a strange unsettling of the air about it, and a gleam around the inner edge of it, as of a doorway not quite closed. _Come here,_ said the door; _come and discover what I hide._

And you'd listen. You'd listen, for it was the same voice that compelled Man to first sail over the seas. It was the voice that urged him to venture into strange and terrible places in the lands across those seas. It is the same voice that compels him to search out the stars.

And if you were to reach out your hand…just a little…trail a finger around the edge of the gate, remark at its smoothness…and then, with just the one finger…touch…enter…cross…the boundary…and…

* * *

><p>Medicine Melancholy slowly opened her eyes. In front of her was her clock. It was just before six.<p>

She reached out and stopped it just as the alarm went off. She then rolled onto her back, looked up at the ceiling, and closed her eyes for a second.

What lay beyond the gate?

* * *

><p><span>A Poisonous Shade of Green<span>

* * *

><p>Another morning; the same routine. Get up. Make bed. Get dressed. Brush teeth. Fill schoolbag. Go downstairs. Eat breakfast. Say goodbye to Mom and Dad, even though they're still asleep.<p>

Soon enough she was on her way to school. She would be early, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Anyway it gave her time to study before class.

She went to the best school possible; always had. She had to study hard, but the results were well worth it. Nobody doubted that she would go to the best of universities, for whatever she wanted to go into.

"Medicine," she'd tell anyone who asked. "Just like my name. Maybe anaesthesiology or pharmaceuticals."

Then she'd smile and laugh at the irony of it, and you'd laugh too, because she had one of those laughs - just plain contagious.

Beautiful, smart, and funny, she was absolutely adored by all the teachers, envied by all of the girls, and sought after by all of the boys (and some of the girls too, though they'd never admit it). She was one of those people who just pull others towards them. It wasn't her intention. She just wanted to do her best by everyone.

"It just seems like the right thing to do," she'd tell anybody that asked. And that was it. There were no ulterior motives, no need for rewards or praise. She just wanted to help. And when she helped, you could feel that she was just doing it because that was what you needed. And you'd smile, because that kind of feeling just goes straight to all the dark corners of your heart and lights a candle in each one.

For all of her popularity, for all of her friends and suitors, Medicine was just never interested in anybody in particular. No crushes, no favourites. Except maybe once.

Whenever asked about it, she'd always give that toothy laugh of hers and change the topic. But she was interested. She hid it well, it was true; but if you were to spend enough time around her, you'd notice the way her head went up whenever he walked into the room.

"Ruairi," she'd say, "is a nice guy all around. Not the brightest, admittedly, but he does his best to help, and that's what's important, right?"

Maybe that was what drew her towards him. To find a kind soul like her own, floating through the sea of anonymous faces.

So that was Medicine. She was simple, but pure, and all around a nice girl. Nobody ever asked why she was named Medicine, because it was so obvious; she was the cure for the disease we know as sadness. So much was she the anti-sadness, that few people remembered her last name: Melancholy.

It was a word Medicine herself rarely used…until the first time she saw the girl.

"Such melancholy green eyes…" she whispered to herself upon seeing her.

The girl in question was standing behind the school fence, looking at them. She wore a long, loose coat around her, and despite the fact that it was spring, she wore a pair of bright red mittens on her hands, and a matching toque over her ears. From underneath the toque flowed strands of bright blonde hair.

But the most striking feature of her was her eyes. Peering out from underneath her hat, her eyes were the most remarkable, piercing shade of green that Melancholy had ever seen in her life. They stared at her through the bars of the fence, as if trying to reach her through sight alone.

Then Medicine blinked, and she vanished.

"What are you talking about?" asked one of her friends.

"Oh…nothing," she said vaguely.

She was about to get peppered with more questions, but then the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, and they had to go back inside.

* * *

><p>Are you wondering who this mysterious girl is? So was Medicine, who kept seeing her everywhere she went.<p>

At lunch break, looking out of the window during class, on her way home from school…Everywhere she went, the girl seemed to appear, and then flicker out of perception like she had never been there. Behind fences, on the other side of a busy street, standing underneath the shade of the tree…the girl followed her. Medicine began to get curious, and started visiting the places where she had last seen her. She never found anything.

One day Ruairi came and looked over her shoulder while she was doodling in her notebook. Her subject was none other than the mysterious girl.

"That's really good," he remarked honestly. "Are you sure you want to go into medicine? You'd make a remarkably talented artist."

Medicine, while revelling in his praise, replied by saying, "I can help more people as a doctor. That's why I'm going into medicine."

"That's a shame. You're very talented." It was an honest opinion, like everything he said. "By the way, who is she?" He pointed to the drawing of the girl.

Medicine shaded in the girl's mysterious, lonely eyes with one of her green pencils.

"I don't know," was all she said.

* * *

><p>That school year ended. Summer came and went in its usual burst of heat and joy. Fall came, and bereaved the trees of their leaves; then fall, too, passed into memory. Winter came, encasing everything in a blanket of white snow. Midterm exams came and went; it was no surprise that Medicine made top of the class.<p>

"I have no idea how you do it," laughed Ruairi, with whom she had begun hanging out with regularly. "I think you only lost maybe one point on that entire exam."

"Two, actually," replied Medicine. "I was distracted."

So many months had gone by without a single sighting that she had been surprised to see the girl again, right in front of the window. Her breath had briefly frosted the pane, and then she had disappeared again. The frost, however, had remained.

Of course, Medicine had been on the third floor; the frost was inadequate in explaining how somebody could stand in front of a third-story window.

"Medicine? Did you hear me?"

Ruairi's words brought Medicine back to reality. She focused her attention back on him, with a questioning look.

"I asked if you…wanted to go to the movies, or something. To celebrate our marks. Or yours, at least."

Medicine smiled.

"I'd be glad to."

* * *

><p>That night Medicine walked home in a good mood, enjoying the beauty of the crisp winter night. She barely even felt the cold of the snow that got in her boots, or the breeze that managed to get under her coat. Her breath puffing in front of her, she looked up at the clear, starry sky.<p>

_'I want every day to be like this,'_ she thought to herself.

Then she rounded the corner to the street her house was on, and there was the girl.

She was looking up at Medicine's house, just standing in the street with her toque and coat, mittened hands wrapped around her chest. For a moment she seemed not to notice Medicine, and thus she got a better look at her follower than she had ever gotten before. Looking closer, Medicine was able to place her age at around fourteen or fifteen, three or four years younger than herself. Her coat was fluttering in the breeze, and Medicine was just able to catch a glimpse of some kind of skirt underneath. Looking even further down, she noticed that the girl was not wearing boots, but a pair of black dress shoes and white socks, strange attire for that time of year.

Then the girl turned, and fixed Medicine with her piercing green eyes. Medicine was rooted to the spot by that gaze: a gaze that cut down to her very soul, a gaze that said _'I know you'_ and probed the dark recesses of things she didn't even know about herself.

A sad, melancholy gaze. A gaze that spoke of distant longing in a far-off land.

Then the girl turned and ran, her shoes kicking up puffs of snow.

Medicine gave chase, calling out after her mysterious watcher. The girl did not heed her supplications, instead veering around a corner. Medicine followed her, skidding and almost tripping on a patch of ice.

But when she rounded the corner, the girl was nowhere to be found.

Quickly, she checked for footprints. They were there, but they seemed to just…end, mid-stride. She knelt down and gazed at the last visible footprint. It was as if the girl had just faded away, like a passing dream.

Medicine sneezed, and was suddenly reminded of the temperature. She turned about, and headed back for her house.

* * *

><p>Winter ended, and spring came again. The trees regained their leaves, and the flowers began to bloom.<p>

Medicine and Ruairi were now officially dating, or at least they were if you asked anyone but the pair in question. If you asked them, they would just say they enjoyed "hanging out" together. It was pretty transparent to everybody else.

Medicine hadn't stopped seeing the strange girl. In fact, she saw more of her; almost every day she would catch a glimpse of a red toque or mittens, or maybe a hint of green eyes looking down at her from the treetops. The girl's constant presence was a maddening mystery to Medicine. Sketches and doodles of her began to crop up all over her notes, especially the eyes – those enigmatic, lonely eyes. The girl's identity constantly nagged at the back of her mind, as if it were very important that she figure it out. Sometimes she felt like she could grasp it, but it kept slipping out of her hands.

On the day before exams, she tried to explain it to Ruairi.

"So for the past year and a half you've been seeing this girl?" he asked her. "About three or four years younger, always in a coat with a hat and mittens?"

Medicine said yes.

"I'd say it was stress, except I know you too well." He frowned worriedly. "Well, it doesn't seem like she wants to harm you, but maybe…" Then his expression suddenly brightened. "Hey, maybe you've got your own guardian angel. An angel guarding another angel, now isn't that funny?"

Medicine laughed at that, and then kissed him, deeply. He was taken by surprise at first, but then kissed her back. Those passing in the hall stopped to stare.

They broke apart, and smiled at each other.

"It's too bad the year is almost up," he said. "Soon, we'll be going to different schools."

"You've been trying hard," she said in a consolatory tone. "And I've been tutoring you. I'm sure you'll do really well."

"Sure," he said with a grin. "Now, I've got to go home and help Mom in the store, but I'll see you tomorrow. I know you'll be done first, so I'll meet you on the roof afterwards. Is that okay?"

Medicine nodded. Then they parted ways.

* * *

><p>Medicine stood at the railing, gazing out across the town. She absolutely loved the rooftop; the feeling of the breeze caressing her cheeks, the feeling of the open sky overhead…Ruairi knew her well, to choose the rooftop as their meeting point.<p>

The sun was just starting to touch the distant mountains, and Ruairi still wasn't out. This wasn't unusual, but it still made Medicine anxious. She couldn't wait to see him.

So, when she heard the door creak, she whirled around with a smile to greet him.

But there was no one there. The door swung closed, and nobody came through it.

Then, for no particular reason, she felt a tingling between her shoulder blades. She whirled around again, uncertain of what to expect.

There was the girl, standing in front of her, out in midair.

They looked at each other for a while, one in shock, the other with a strange kind of intensity.

Then the girl cracked a pained smile, and the watcher spoke her first words to the watched.

"Medicine."

The word carried with it a kind of odd fondness, as of an old friend, or even a lover. Medecine recoiled a little, partly in fright, partly in surprise.

"Who are you?" she asked, not wasting any time in getting to the point.

"Isn't it sad?" said the girl with that same, painful smile. "You can't remember me. But that's the price I paid."

"I've seen you everywhere, but I don't know you," said Medicine suspiciously. "I only saw you about a year and a half ago."

"But I've been around longer than that. Think back."

Suddenly, memories from her childhood came back, of a mysterious stranger who watched her as she played in the park. A memory of green eyes.

"How…You…" Light flashed before Medicine's eyes as if she had been hit in the head. She stumbled back.

"There isn't much time," said the girl. "I can't be here forever, and neither can you. I'm sorry about this."

The world blipped out, like a television screen.

* * *

><p>It was evening. The sun was setting way in the west, casting everything in the valley into shadow, and turning the sky shades of pink, orange and purple.<p>

Medecine woke up on a stone path. It wound upwards in front of her, turning into a long flight of stairs as it did so. Trees waved overhead and to the side, casting a shifting curtain of shadows over everything. Everywhere, everything smelled of green. And, underneath the green, another smell. An old smell; an ancient smell. A smell of lost secrets.

She looked behind herself. Away in the distance, she could see the town. It was nothing but a blurry grouping of shapes. She became scared and frightened.

"Go up the steps," called a voice from the woods around her. "I'm sorry, but the connection is fading. I couldn't bring you any closer. You'll have to walk the rest of the way."

The steps were high, but not too high. Not hard to climb at all, if one kept at it. The peacefulness of the surroundings, the pleasant rustling of the wind, kept one going, until one reached the top.

"I can't go out of this area," said the voice apologetically. "And you're leaving soon. I couldn't…I had to talk to you, one last time. I'm sorry."

Medicine reached the top of the steps. And at the top there was the shrine.

It was old and run-down. The gate was practically unpainted, and tilted drunkenly to one side. The shrine proper was, at that point, a shrine in name only. Still, there was a door, and a roof, and a donation box sitting forlornly on the front step. Enough to warrant stepping inside for a bit.

She took the unheard invitation and stepped inside, only to discover a passingly strange sight. For within the shrine, was another gate. This one was smaller, only about six or seven feet in height, but a gate all the same, as if someone had shrunk the other gate and transplanted it inside the shrine. This gate, however, was in far better condition, gleaming red as if it were painted just before you got there, and the painter was about to come back and place a "Wet Paint" sign in front of it.

Aside from its strange condition, this gate radiated an aura of mystery. If one were to look at it, not straight on, but slightly to the side, one would perceive a strange unsettling of the air about it, and a gleam around the inner edge of it, as of a doorway not quite closed. _Come here,_ said the door; _come and discover what I hide._

And beside the gate stood the girl.

She had cast off her coat, hat and mittens, and stood before Medicine in a fancifully designed dress. The top was brown, and had purple areas crisscrossed with white stripes. The bottom was a skirt, layered in blue, purple and black, with red ribbons hanging from it. A pink sash hung about her waist.

Her blonde hair flowed over her head, and from the hair poked pointed ears. She turned her gaze on Medicine, and her eyes were a more vibrant green than Medicine had ever seen before.

"Do you remember my name?" whispered the girl.

"Parsee." The word slipped out of Medicine's mouth, and then she felt as if she were hit over the head again. She stumbled, fell to her knees; when she looked up, through tears of pain, she could see that the girl, too, was crying.

"Yes, that's right. Parsee. You do remember."

Parsee came over and knelt down in front of Medicine. She took Medicine's head in her hands and asked again.

"Now, where are we?"

"The Hakurei shrine." It felt as if someone were pumping her head full of water until it burst. Her head hit the floor, and she was sobbing.

"Good. Why is the shrine important?"

"It is the focus of the Great Hakurei Boundary."

"What does the boundary encapsulate?"

"Gensoukyou."

"Who is the current boundary maiden?"

"Reimu Hakurei."

"What am I?"

"A youkai of jealousy."

"Where do I come from?"

"The Former Hell."

"Where do you come from?"

"The Nameless Hill."

With each question the pain redoubled, until Medicine was almost screaming out the answers, pounding her head against the floor in an attempt to block out the pain with a lesser one. Her eyes flooded with tears of agony. Parsee held her, trying to keep her still, also crying, though her tears were of a different nature.

"One last question. Who are you?"

"I am Medicine Melancholy, the poisonous doll, who tends to the lilies of the valley around Nameless Hill, and poisons all who enter."

Suddenly the crying and the spasms stopped. Medicine hung limp in Parsee's arms for a moment. Then she pulled away and stood up. She looked down at Parsee.

Tears had come back to her eyes, but they weren't tears of pain anymore. Her teeth were set in a snarl of anger, and her eyes, if one were to look in them, burned with untold wrath.

"Parsee. What have you_ done?_"

A single scream of rage, and her uniform tore away from her. Her eyes began to glow, and she floated into the air.

"Medicine! Wait! I can explain!" Parsee got up and extended her arms.

"You made me _human! HOW COULD YOU, PARSEE?"_

Suddenly, dark clouds rushed out of her body. The fog encased the area, pressing down, smothering life. Plants wilted, and Parsee had to cover her mouth with her sleeve.

"Stop! Medicine! You'll poison yourself!"

_"TELL ME WHY, PARSEE! WHY?"_

"Because I was sorry for you!" Parsee coughed on the poison. "I saw how your hate was eating you up inside, and I couldn't be jealous of you! I just wanted to help you!"

_"WE WERE SUPPOSED TO KILL THE HUMANS!"_

"Yes, but you made me see how wrong that was! I was-" She suddenly choked and gagged. "I pitied you!"

_"SO YOU WENT TO THE BORDER BITCH!"_

"Yes, I went to Yukari Yakumo! I dealt with her! She made you human, and gave you parents, and everything!"

_"HOW DARE YOU, PARSEE! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS!"_ Poison gas exploded out of Medicine as if a pressure valve had broken. It shot up into the sky like a geyser, killing passing birds. _"I HATE THE HUMANS! I HATE THEM!"_

Parsee fell to her knees, weakened by the poison and the force of her own anguish.

"Medicine! Stop! We can go back, start over!"

_"NO! NO! NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" _The figure wreathed in dark smoke curled up and held her head in her hands. _"I HAVE BEEN AMONG THEM! I HAVE BEEN KIND TO THEM! I HAVE KISSED THEM! I HAVE LOVED THEM!"_

Her screams echoed around the valley, shaking the mountains, frightening animals, rending the sky in two. Parsee could not rise from her knees, and simply stared upwards as the poison consumed her body, her eyes overflowing with tears, her mouth open in a silent sob.

_"I HATE YOU, PARSEE! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE-"_

And then, suddenly, Medicine coughed. She coughed again, and again, and then her body was wracked by violent coughing spasms. She choked, and cried, and sobbed, and shrieked with rage and anguish.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. She stood silent in midair. The poisonous clouds dissipated. For a moment all was calm, and the air was still and silent.

She turned towards where the town lay, and raised one arm in its direction.

_"Ruairi,"_ was all she whispered.

Then she fell, and hit the ground with a clattering sound, as of many wooden parts.

* * *

><p>Yukari was drinking sake in her garden when Parsee stumbled in.<p>

The youkai of jealousy looked like the walking dead. She could barely even walk straight, and her knees continually buckled as if they were about to give out. She was continually coughing, gagging, nearly choking, and what breath she did manage came out as laboured gasps. Her skin was a strange shade of green. And when she looked up, her eyes were no longer the bright green they once were. They were dull, lifeless, and the same sickly shade as her skin.

In her arms she held a limp and lifeless figure that clattered as she walked. Reaching Yukari, she wasted no words, thrusting out the doll that had once been Medicine Melancholy.

"Bring her back," was all she said, in a hoarse, raspy voice.

Yukari put down her sake dish, and turned to face her visitor.

"You broke the terms of our agreement," she said plainly. "You were not to talk to her. You were only to visit the outside world in the time between the first snows and the last cherry blossom. You were not to leave the immediate area of the town."

"Yes," rasped Parsee.

"And you expect me to help you?"

"Yes," replied the green-eyed youkai, not even looking at Yukari. "I will pay any price."

"You realize she never loved you. She loved a human."

"Yes."

"You still wish to bring her back, knowing that she will hate you until the day she dies again?"

"Yes."

Yukari sighed, folded her hands, and prepared to bring out her trump card.

"Her hate for humans was what drove her."

"Yes."

"Her very ability to exist away from the one who created her was a result of that hatred."

"Yes."

"Because of your actions, she cannot hate humans. Therefore, if I bring her back, she cannot sustain herself. If I were to bring her back to sustain herself, she would not be herself. Do you see?" The youkai of boundaries gave the youkai of jealousy a hard, focused look. "I cannot bring back Medicine as you knew her."

Parsee had no response to this.

"At the very least, I will heal you. There is no reason for you to die."

Yukari waved her hand, and the green colour drained out of Parsee's skin. It poured down her clothes and skin, pooling around her feet, creating a dead spot in the grass. It streaked down her face, mingling with liquid that had already been there.

Parsee gave one last look at Yukari. Her eyes had not changed – they were the same poisonous shade of green.

Then, cradling the doll in her arms, she walked away.

Yukari turned back to her drink, and as she sipped from her dish, she could hear the mutterings of the green-eyed youkai.

"It's all right, Medicine…I'll take care of you. I'll make you better. Soon you'll be back to your old self, and we can kill the humans for breaking your heart. It wasn't my fault, was it? It was all his fault, for making him love you…No, of course you don't blame me. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault."

Yukari sighed tiredly, and waved a hand, restoring the dead grass to life. One last snatch of speech floated back to her.

"I'm so jealous of you, Medicine. You don't have to worry anymore."

* * *

><p><strong>Did someone ask for Medicine x Parsee? Here you go, Anon. Your suggestion has been fermenting in my mind since the day you posted it - now, it has come to fruition.<br>**

**I am really, really happy with this story. The decision to try for a romantic tragedy was a good one. ProTip for all you other aspiring writers out there: never try to force a story. They always come out best if you let them take their own damn time.  
><strong>

** As a quick side note, I borrowed the name "Ruairi" from Mabinogi, an MMORPG oublished by Nexon. I pulled the last name from the Wikipedia page on people with that name. An ancient king of Ireland. Not too important, but I thought I'd mention it.**

** UnendingEmpire, I am very sorry for having broken your combo.**


End file.
